Trial by Leaves
by ArcTheJedi
Summary: Naruto is ready for the role of Hokage, but he has one grand challenge to overcome first. Now he must prove his conviction to his friends; along the way he may discover just as much about them …and himself. NaruHina, other pairings, T for my own paranoia.
1. Let it Begin!

All right! The first installment of my first multi-chapter fic is _up_! Not a whole lot of action this time around, but trust me --it's coming. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Any lawyers approaching me on this count will be shot on sight with tranquilizers.**

* * *

Tsunade dropped the paper she held to her desk in disgust. Rather than fall quickly, it floated down casually --_mockingly_, she thought-- and came to rest atop a scattered pile of pages very similar to itself. She heaved a weary sigh and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples and half-heartedly _willing_ the bags under her eyes to disappear. She turned slightly to gaze out of her office's window. The twinkling stars in the sky stood out against the pure blackness of the night; it must have been three in the morning. Tsunade was _tired_, but she couldn't sleep. No, the simmering anger flowing through her veins easily quashed any effort to drowse off. She turned back to her desk with a scowl. 

The Elder Council members' various positions on her latest proposal had been delivered at midnight. She had reviewed each of them several times since then, and a new burst of frustration burned through her every time she did. Some had been reasonable. A few had even supported her; these she had set off to the side in a neat stack. Most, however, shared the stance of that last one: bull-headed, callous, and _thoroughly maddening_ refusal. She had time to convince them, she knew; the decision didn't need to be made for several years more, at least. And she _would_ convince them, even if it took her the rest of her life. Of that, there was not a single doubt in her mind.

But _good_ _**grief**_, their stubbornness was getting annoying.

Snatching up a pen, she furiously scribbled a reply to the overall report, slapped it with her official seal, and slammed it down on the unruly stack of papers representing their equally defiant authors. She heard the door to her office open quietly as the ANBU standing guard checked on the sudden loud noise. Upon seeing that the Hokage was in no danger --merely irate as usual-- the door closed again just as quietly.

Still glaring at the vile mound of papers, Tsunade settled back into her chair. Her expression softened as she realized what her next task had to be. For a moment, she debated simply letting it slide. Then she sighed and sadly shook her head.

_He deserves to know_, she thought to herself.

Taking up her pen again, she began to fill out a message summoning one of the best and brightest ninja she had ever known to her office, where she would have to offer him what was perhaps the gravest insult she could possibly deliver.

* * *

The first few rays of sunlight crept through her window and washed across the face of Hinata Hyuuga. She woke, but did not move or open her eyes, opting to let the warmth of the light soak into her skin for a few long moments. Eventually a smile crept onto her face, and she sat up and stretched. Not even the sun could match what she felt from within. It had been one month exactly since _it_ had happened, and she had felt positively _giddy_ ever since. 

Her pale eyes fell on her diary, resting on her desk, and she leapt out of bed and skipped over to it as she did every morning. It might have seemed very out of place, her diary --a worn, plain-looking brown-leather book atop a beautiful, hand-carved mahogany desk, surrounded by various possessions of similarly fine quality-- but she scooped it up and hugged it tightly all the same. Laying it down carefully, she undid the clasp and flipped to her very favorite entry --the day _it_ had happened.

The day Naruto Uzumaki had kissed her. Fully and deeply. _Twice_.

As she read over her own joyous handwriting, her heart began to race faster and faster, her smile growing brighter and brighter. When she got to the best part, her body convulsed with a squeal of ecstatic giggling. Her recollection of the event was flawless, of course; she played it back in her mind often enough that she knew it would be burned into her memory forever. She checked her diary for her description of it every morning for physical _proof_, to reassure her that the memory was not just a dream but _real_.

And every morning yielded the same, unbelievable answer. Smile still in place, Hinata stared wistfully out her window at the rising sun, its beams reflected dazzlingly in the dew clinging to the sea of leaves in the Leaf Village trees. They hadn't kissed like that since --only in passing, only on the cheek-- but that only made the memory just that much more thrilling and precious. Neither of them had ever said the words, "I love you." They hadn't needed to.

She heaved a contented sigh. They hadn't spent much time together this last month; almost all of his time was devoted to his preparatory lessons for becoming Hokage. Even so, they managed to at least catch sight of each other every day. Each time, her heart would flutter as she saw the fatigue rush from his eyes to be replaced by their usual shining cheer. The drained look on his face would dissolve, a bright, warm smile in its place. That this was not a forced display of reassurance, that _seeing her_ genuinely made him so happy, _that_ was enough for her.

At least, for now. She began to hum a love song to herself as she got dressed and prepared for the day.

* * *

Naruto sat up, stretching, his mouth twisting in an enormous yawn. The sun was well on its way up into the sky, but he still felt exhausted. Oh, his _body_ was rested, true enough. It was his _mind_ that felt like it wanted to flop back down, curl up and fall asleep again. Or explode. After all, it was another day; another marathon of politics, paperwork, poetry, public speaking, manners, management, reasoning, and what-not. Hoo-_ray_. 

He sighed to himself in frustration as he stared out his window. He remembered his reaction on the day this all started, months ago. He had literally bounced off a few walls when Granny Tsunade had told him she had selected him to become the Sixth Hokage. Then he had frozen in disbelief and annoyance when she had admonished him, saying he still lacked some necessary skills for the job. Almost instantly he shouted back angrily in his defense, thinking she meant he wasn't strong enough. He lost his grip on the wall and fell flat on his face in confusion when she laughed at this and told him he would have to endure lessons of an all together different sort. Unsure of what she was talking about but determined nonetheless, he had shot back that he was "ready for anything, whatever it takes! Believe it!"

It had never occurred to him how much boring procedure and formality he had agreed to learn. He would not back down, not now that he'd given his word to so many people, but if he had known how much work it would take to become Hokage… He frowned to himself. No, it wouldn't have stopped him, but it definitely would have made him take the whole idea much more seriously.

With another deep sigh, Naruto heaved himself up off his bed and began to get dressed, absently reviewing his schedule for the day. He had to admit, he _was_ coming along in his studies. Political and administrative mumbo-jumbo would never come naturally to him, he knew, but he was beginning to really grasp it all the way he had everything else --through a ludicrous amount of hard work and a bit of ingenuity. He whipped his long white coat off the chair at his desk and paused at the small object he saw laying there.

He reached down and picked up the small, intricately carved wooden rendering of the Hyuuga clan symbol, and thought about the day, one month ago exactly, that he had discovered the one person who had believed in him for longer than anyone else. Within a week he'd gotten the idea for this little project, and he'd worked on it every night since, finishing only last evening. He turned the piece over in his palm, examining his handiwork. It was a crude attempt, unimpressive, rather plain at first glance. But if you took a closer look past all the rough edges, you'd see its colors begin to shine. That, he decided, matched Hinata perfectly. He undid the clasp of the necklace he wore and slid one end through the little metal loop mounted in the carving. It slid down to rest against his most prized possession: the crystal belonging to the First Hokage himself, worth enough to buy a couple of mountains and everything they contained, won with blessings of his worthiness from Tsunade, the Fifth. He noted with pleasure that his little carving did not suffer much in comparison.

Then his eye caught sight of his clock. He bit back a curse --he was going to be late again! He quickly retied the necklace and threw on his coat, then rushed for the door, but before he passed through it he caught sight of a letter in the drop-box he used for mail. He would have ignored it for now and left it for later, except that it was marked with Granny Tsunade's official seal.

Curious, he seized it and tore it open. As he read its contents, his famous cocky grin sprouted on his face; his lessons had been effectively canceled and he was to report to the Hokage's office ASAP. Letting out a whoop of victory, he dashed off through the village. He stopped only once, at the Ichiraku Ramen stand, to buy three orders of misu ramen to go --a light snack before breakfast. Then he was off again, bounding from street to wall to tree limb to rooftop and back again.

* * *

Neji sat, cross-legged and perfectly still, in the middle of one of the Hyuuga family gardens. He was there partly to hone his endurance with his Byakugan; his bloodline trait had been activated constantly for the past half hour, and every five minutes he would use it strenuously, in a manner similar to weight-training. 

Mostly, however, he was there for another reason. Behind him and off to his right, Hinata emerged from her room, smiling, humming to herself, and practically floating on air. He wasn't sure what exactly had caused this behavior in his cousin, but he knew who it had to involve. He smiled to himself. She had started each day for a while now like this. But the moment someone caught her--

"Good morning, Hinata."

--she stumbled, turned cherry red in embarrassment, and whirled on her observer, a greeting sputtering from her lips.

"O-oh, u-um, g-good-- good m-morning, N-n-neji. H-how-- how are y-you?"

He held back an amused chuckle. _Every time_. "I am well. I'm also supposed to tell you that you have guests waiting outside."

Her pale eyes widened and she looked even more flustered, if possible. "G-guests? O-out on th-the l-lawn? Wh-who--"

"You shouldn't keep them waiting, Hinata."

"O-oh! Y-yes, o-of c-c-course…" she stammered as she spun around and hurried off, stiff-legged, the crimson hue of her face not fading in the slightest.

He watched her leave, then returned himself to his task. There was a daunting challenge ahead of him, and he knew he would need all the practice he could get.

* * *

Hinata had paused by the front door to let her blush finish wearing off, but as she waited her thoughts drifted back to the moment and she felt her cheeks flare up again. Sighing in resignation, she steeled herself and stepped outside. 

Her visitors were Kiba and Sakura. They were waiting patiently on the path about half the distance to the main gate. She caught a glimpse of a seemingly serious discussion between the two, but the moment she had opened the doors, Akamaru, curled up at Kiba's feet, had looked up at her and barked joyfully, drawing their attention. As she walked over, fending off Akamaru's lapping tongue, she noted their somber expressions and inwardly cringed, painfully aware that she didn't even know how long she had kept them waiting.

When she reached them, she bowed politely. "Good m-morning, K-kiba, S-sakura," she began carefully. "I-is something wrong?"

Sakura nodded gravely, and it was only then that Hinata noticed the hint of sadness on her pink-haired friend's face. She turned to look at Kiba and was startled to catch a flash of restrained anger in her teammate's eyes.

"We need your help, Hinata," he said without preamble. "It's about Naruto."

Her heart caught in her throat and her blush was obliterated as her face turned as pale as her eyes. Without thinking her hands had shot out and clutched Kiba's jacket, gripping it tightly. "Has something happened to Naruto? Is he okay?!" she asked, her voice fighting panic. She saw Kiba, blinking in surprise, exchange a hesitant glance with Sakura, as if unsure of how they should answer that question.

"Naruto's fine," Sakura quickly chimed in, though her tone wasn't quite convincing. Still, Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, and, upon noticing her white-knuckled fingers digging into Kiba's jacket, released him, pink returning to her cheeks.

"Come on," the other girl continued. "We'll explain on the way."

* * *

Tsunade woke with a start at the sound of a loud bang. Instantly alert, she leapt to her feet, muscles tense, ready to face any attacker. Her fighting stance went slack, however, when she identified the cause of the commotion; a tall, blond, _obnoxious_, nineteen-year-old ninja had kicked her door open. Her eyebrow twitched at him evilly. 

"All right, all right, I'll be quieter from now on!" he shouted over his shoulder to someone in the hallway --probably Shizune. Then he spun around again and, spotting Tsunade, strode forward, grinning from ear to ear, and plopped a bag down on her desk --takeout ramen, from the look and smell of it.

"'Morning, Old Lady!" he called out none too softly. Beyond irritated, Tsunade planted one foot on her desk and, using it as leverage, reached up and smacked him none too _gently_ on the head. "GAH!" he cried as his knees bent under the force of the blow, his hands flying up to his blond mop of hair.

"I've told you countless times not to call me old, Naruto," she admonished calmly as she stepped down off her desk. "And you just woke me up from a very productive nap."

Hands still clutching at the sore spot on his head, Naruto nevertheless grinned up at her again; this had become a common greeting for the two of them. For her part, a smile of affection tugged at Tsunade's lips, her eyes beaming with pride at the young man before her. Her knuckles also throbbed a bit --he had a _very_ hard head.

Straightening up, he crossed his arms behind his head. "So, I got your letter. Does this mean what I think it does?" he asked, trying not to sound eager or hopeful but failing miserably at both.

Her smile died, but she struggled not to show it. She cleared her throat. "Naruto Uzumaki, I have consulted each of your tutors," she began in her most official voice, taking her time as she gathered her thoughts, "and they all agree your progress has been astounding." _Not that I expected any less_. "As you have achieved excellent status in each subject, your private lessons are now over." Excitement grew on his face with every word. Her stomach wrenching, she turned her back to him and stared out her window. "It has been my pleasure to put forth your name as my candidate for the Sixth Hokage of the Leaf Village."

Tsunade winced at his whoops of joy. Once again she silently cursed the blind, pig-headed old fools who _dared_ call themselves _Elders_ that were making her do this. She heaved a deep sigh.

"_Unfortunately_," she said through gritted teeth. His cheers ceased instantly and he fell suddenly silent, breathlessly attentive. "Unfortunately," she repeated, "the _Council of Elders_" --she spat the words contemptuously-- "have decided to refuse your nomination. Because of _certain circumstances_, **they** feel you cannot be **trusted** with leadership." The venom in her tone could have killed a bull elephant mid-charge. She waited for his response.

Silence.

She chanced a look back at him and instantly wished she hadn't. She could have handled an indignant reaction. She could have handled a _furious_ reaction. What she saw instead made her heart ache. His eyes had drifted downward, lost focus, and become portals into a hollow abyss that she recognized as years of pain and hurt being revisited. His face had gone slack with a fatigue that made him look ages older, mixed with a deep-seated sadness and hint of despair. One hand, its shoulder slumped, hung limply at his side. The other clutched tightly at his stomach; he clearly understood which 'circumstances' they were referring to.

Tsunade felt tears begin to well up. It wasn't _fair_! He had endured so much, he had worked _so hard_ to turn his curse into his strength for _so long_, and he had done it proudly and doggedly in the face of so many sneers of contempt and hatred. It wasn't _fair_ to slap him down with his birthright now, at what should have been his moment of triumph.

Mentally, she took note to invent a whole new string of invectives and curses for those blasted '_Elders_.'

"Naruto," she called softly. He looked up at her, and she shuddered at the _emptiness_ of his expression. "It is **not** over," she said firmly, her face hardening with resolve. "I will take your case before them again and again, however many times I have to. Eventually, they will come around. Eventually, they will see you as I do." She smiled reassuringly. "We just need to be patient."

As if waking from a deep sleep, he stirred, slowly coming _alive_ again. The spark returned to his blue orbs and a smile crept back onto his face. But the corners of his eyes remained tight, and his expression caught partway to his grin. "…yeah…" he began softly. He began nodding slowly, as if trying to convince himself. "…Yeah, I can wait. I've waited this long, haven't I?" His nodding increased in vigor as his voice grew louder and his grin grew wider. "Yeah! So what if it takes some old farts a while to realize how great I am? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I never back down!" He practically crowed this last declaration. Suddenly he looked her square in the eyes again. "Hey, since my lessons are over, I've got the rest of the day off, right?"

His grin was infectious; by now it had spread to Tsunade's face as well. She nodded. "All right! See ya later Granny!" he called as he spun on his heel and strode out of her office, one hand raised in an abortive wave.

Still smiling proudly, Tsunade settled back in her chair, ready to believe that he was taking it surprisingly well. Then something on her desk caught her eye, and her breath caught in her throat as her spirits crashed to the ground.

Naruto had left his ramen behind.

Naruto _**never**_ forgot his ramen.

* * *

He stood on the roof of Tsunade's tower, the village spread out behind him, the mountainside looming up before him. His eyes scanned the faces carved there; the massive stone visages of all five Hokage, the greatest heroes of the Leaf Village to date, stared back at him. These men --and that woman-- had each devoted their lives to the protection and well-being of their people. Each of them loved the village and everyone in it more than anything else, and each had been willing to do whatever it took --even the ultimate sacrifice-- to keep it from harm. 

Naruto desperately wished his name could join theirs.

He found himself staring at the Third and smirked with chagrin. He remembered why he had originally wanted to become Hokage; so that "everyone in the village will stop disrespecting me and start looking up to me! Believe it!" In other words, he'd wanted to be popular. He could see now that that was a pretty naïve reason for wanting the job, yet even so, the Third had believed in him. He had never really realized how much the Old Man had done for him --for the whole village-- until it was too late. It was on that day, the Third's funeral, that his motivation had begun to shift. He knew with every fiber of his being that he wanted to become a ninja --no, more than that, a _Hokage_-- worthy enough to make that great man proud.

Him, and Tsunade …and another. His eyes drifted to the Fourth. His father. Everything Naruto learned about the man made his heart burn with pride that he was his son. More and more, he'd tried to emulate his father in every way he could. His long, white, sleeveless coat fluttered in the breeze, the flames rendered at its hem dancing in the wind, prompting Naruto to chuckle; he'd even started to _dress_ like the long-dead hero. All he wanted to do was to be like that man, who'd given his everything to protect those precious to him.

But how could he protect everyone if they wouldn't even give him a chance? He gritted his teeth, eyes wincing with _hurt_, as his hand went to his stomach again, searching for the seal there and the monster contained within. The seal was invisible to the naked eye except when he drew on the Fox's power; even then, it was always concealed beneath his shirt, his jacket, his coat. So why did people always seem to see it first? It seemed more and more like everyone he met instinctively dismissed him; even Tsunade had done just that when they first met. Why did he always need to convince them of his worth? Full of pain, his eyes searched the faces of the men and woman he admired most. Couldn't anyone see him for _who_ he was instead of _what_ he was? Couldn't **anyone** just _believe_ in him from the start?

"N-naruto?"

He resisted the urge to burst out laughing, though he couldn't prevent his mouth from twisting up in a grin; the answer to his question had arrived with timing so precise it was funny. He could have sworn that in that moment those solemn stone faces smiled down at him. "Thanks," he whispered, before turning toward the familiar voice.

Hinata Hyuuga stood at the entrance to the stair well. Concern was etched on her face, but that quickly melted into relief when she saw his expression as he strode over to her. Then her pale eyes shot open wide and she let out an "_eep!_" of surprise when Naruto, his depression forgotten, lifted her off the ground in a bear hug and swung her in a circle. He couldn't help but laugh at her shocked expression, and after a moment of breathless staring and reddening cheeks she giggled and hugged him back. When they came to rest with her feet back on the roof, their arms held each other tightly, chins resting on shoulders, right cheeks pressed together, and eyes closed as they just enjoyed the other's presence.

"So, Hinata…" he began softly.

"Hmm?" he heard her murmur dreamily from his shoulder.

He smirked. "…what brings you up this way?"

He felt her body jerk in a sudden start. "O-oh! That's right!" He opened his eyes lazily as she pulled back enough to look at him. Staring into his face from an inch away, she blinked once and began to blush again before continuing. "I-I was s-s-supposed to c-come get you."

He gave her a curious frown. "Huh? Get me for what?"

* * *

Naruto blinked in surprise at the crowd waiting for them outside the building; every member of the original Leaf Eleven (plus Sai) was present except Shikamaru, and almost instantly he came walking out of the Hokage's Tower behind them and moved to stand with his teammates, Ino and Choji. Naruto shot a questioning look at Hinata, still by his side, but she merely blushed and would not meet his eye. Then Shikamaru cleared his throat, drawing Naruto's attention. 

"We heard about your meeting with the Old Lady," he said bluntly, "and what she had to say about becoming Hokage."

That startled him; he hadn't left her office more than twenty minutes ago. Had they all dropped everything and rushed here? No, wait. He glanced over at Sakura. His pink-haired teammate was Tsunade's apprentice; she must have gotten wind of it beforehand and spread the word to everyone. His heart swelled at the thought that his friends were there for him. His eyes scanned the eleven ninja standing there with gratitude. He'd told each of them about the Nine-Tailed Fox at various points throughout the years. Some had been stunned. Some had been indifferent. A few had never looked at him the same way again; some combination of sympathy, awe, pride, and regret usually found its way into their eyes now. But they all accepted him as their friend, as Naruto the _person_, and _that_, he decided, made their opinions far more valuable to him than those of any stuffy, old, know-nothing--

"Well, you can just forget about the Elders for now," Kiba said slyly. "Because _we're_ not sure you're ready for it, either."

Naruto was stunned. "Wha--? _**What**_?!" he yelled, staring open-mouthed at his friend.

"We don't think you're ready to be Hokage," the wild-looking ninja repeated with a cool shrug, leaning casually against his enormous canine friend Akamaru.

"And you'll certainly never convince the Elders if you can't convince us," Shino continued in a matter-of-fact tone, what little was visible of his face betraying no emotion.

Ino chuckled. "Care to prove us wrong, Naruto?" the blond woman said with a glint in her eye.

It was then Naruto noticed that every person there that ever felt any impulse to smile was doing so now, in varying degrees that seemed to relate to the amount of mischief in their eyes. He eyed them suspiciously.

"How?"

Neji answered. "Each of us will give you a test concerning one quality we think is important for a Hokage to possess. We will support you in your bid for the position only when you can pass them all."

"Think of it as a chance to impress us with all that _training_ you've been doing, Naruto," Sakura teased.

Naruto gave a bark of laughter as a mischievous smile of his own appeared to match theirs'. "All right. You're on!"

"Great!" TenTen chimed in. "Then let the Trial by Leaves begin!"

Rock Lee, who'd been looking more and more like he was ready to explode, suddenly leapt forward. "And I shall be first!!" he exclaimed. He held his clenched fist, trembling with anticipation, out in front of him. His ridiculously thick eyebrows furrowed with manic intensity over eyes that seemed about to burst into flames. "Mine is the Test of Strength! To pass, you must defeat me in combat!" He threw a fast high kick into the empty air before nimbly bouncing back to his original position. "Are you ready, Naruto?!"

Everyone stared at him, dumbstruck. Neji and Shikamaru rolled their eyes.

Naruto, fired up by Lee's display, eagerly struck an identical pose. "Oh, yeah!! After months of boring lessons, I've been itching for a good beat-down! Get ready to lose, Bushy Brow!!"

Almost everyone else present heaved a collective sigh of resignation and embarrassment.

"Can we at least move to a proper fighting ground first?" Sakura muttered.

If either young man heard her, they gave no indication of it. The identical looks of burning confidence and cocky determination they shot at each other caused them to smirk simultaneously as they both realized the same thing:

_This is going to be fun._

* * *

(End)

* * *

So. What did you think? I need reviews, and I need opinions; should the Lee vs. Naruto fight be short and furious, or long and involved? In other words, do you want most of the next chapter devoted to the match, or should I get it out of the way and move on to the next Test? Let me know in reviews or PM's! 

Either way, work on the next chapter will begin when this one has collected at least five reviews, and not a moment sooner. I need proper motivation, after all!


	2. Rock Lee

Okay, first of all, I want to apologize for how long it took me to update --especially to those people I told to expect it _last_ weekend. I didn't die or lose interest or anything, but a big, fat, ugly, obnoxious book-and-report shouldered its way between me and my writing, slapped me across the face, and demanded all of my attention for about a week. x.x

(It also didn't help matters any that the fic's actual writing took **much** longer than I expected --6000 words!)

_But anyway_, chapter two and the much anticipated Lee/Naruto fight is finally up! Have fun, and sorry again for making you wait!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I **_**am**_** a college student, after all.**

* * *

"A-are you okay, N-naruto?"

The blond ninja paused mid-stretch and threw her a confused look. "Yeah. I'm fine," he said bluntly. He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"W-well, u-um…" Pink crept into Hinata's face as her voice trailed off. Hesitating a moment, she timidly lifted a finger to gesture at her head.

"Oh!" he barked with a chuckle. "_That_." He grinned as his hand went up to scratch at the same spot in his spiky blond hair. "Don't worry about _that_ --I'm used to it by now." Hinata smiled in relief and gave a small giggle.

* * *

(flashback)

Outside the Hokage's Tower, Naruto's and Lee's face-off had grown more and more intense until it felt like the atmosphere around them would burst into flames. Finally, their muscles tensed and they each began to let loose a battle cry. At that moment, Sakura and TenTen intervened, clobbering their respective teammates in the back of the head. Instantly both boys' faces were planted in the dirt at their feet, limbs twitching painfully.

"Oh, no you don't!!" Sakura scolded, her face twisted in pure --if silly-- rage. "Not right here in the street!!"

"What are you thinking?!" shouted TenTen, her expression a mirror of Sakura's. "If you're going to fight, take it to the training grounds!!"

Heaving a sigh and rolling his eyes, Neji bent down to help his friend up. After staring in open-mouthed shock for a long moment, Hinata hastily knelt to do the same for Naruto. The two ninja were barely on their feet again when they glanced at each other, smirked with mischief, and tore off in a blur toward their chosen battlefield. Neither had said "First one there wins!" but the challenge was on.

Behind them, the rest of their friends blinked against the resulting dust cloud and sputtered a few coughs. Then, after throwing exasperated looks at each other, they followed at a quick --but not quite so reckless-- pace.

(end flashback)

* * *

Lee had finished stretching and stood across the field waiting patiently. Aware of this, Hinata fidgeted nervously, clearly wanting to say something. Naruto looked at her expectantly.

"G-good-- good luck, N-naruto. I-I… I know you can do it!" she blurted finally.

"Well thanks, Hinata!" he said cheerfully, cocky grin solidly in place. "That's all I needed to hear! Now I can't lose!" Before she could even begin to blush, she stiffened with surprise as Naruto stepped closer and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. _Just like clockwork_, thought Naruto, pleased with himself as he watched the pink rise to her face --pink that quickly turned crimson at the sound of a catcalling whistle that had to be from Kiba. Reddening slightly himself, Naruto resolved to force-feed his friend Akamaru's dog food later.

* * *

Blushing furiously, Hinata resolved to slip some of Akamaru's worst dog food into her teammate's dinner sometime.

She blinked at her own uncharacteristic thought. _Where did _that_ come from?_

* * *

By silent agreement, Lee and Naruto had chosen a mid-sized, level field almost entirely surrounded by trees. There were no grasses or weeds taller than their ankles, and neither were there any gullies or ditches in evidence; footing wouldn't be a problem. It was also a fair distance away from any other training area currently in use, so the odds for interruption were slim. Perfect.

Hinata now hurried off to join the others at the fringe of the trees as the two combatants moved to face off. They came to a stop ten paces apart, directly in the center of the field. The sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon, but the afternoon was still young. For a long moment, the young men regarded each other in silence. Then Naruto smiled confidently.

"Are you sure about this, Bushy Brow?" he called. "You know how strong I am. You sure you don't just want to give up and save me the trouble of beating you?"

Lee aped his smile. "You have defeated many skilled opponents. _That_ is true. However, let us see how you will do in a fight where you are clearly outmatched!" His voice held the same eager intensity it always did.

Naruto snorted derisively and prepared to throw back a contradiction to this assessment, but before he could say a word Lee interrupted.

"For you see," Lee continued, a gleam in his eye turning his smile into a smug one, "there is one special rule in this battle. You may use any ninjutsu or genjutsu you wish to assist you, but any damage you inflict --including the knockout-- must be dealt with taijutsu!"

Naruto managed to force his cocky grin to remain in place despite his stomach folding in on itself. "Great!" he said with every ounce of enthusiasm he did not feel. _Great_, he groaned inwardly. Granted, his own melee skills were nothing to laugh at --he liked to think he'd grown quite formidable over the years-- but his real strength was the incredible stamina he possessed that allowed him to use powerful, chakra-intensive jutsu. And Lee was a taijutsu master! All he _knew_ was physical combat --and he knew it _**very**_ well. Losing genjutsu didn't bother Naruto --he didn't know any-- but how on _earth_ could Naruto expect to win without his ninjutsu?

He shook his head slightly to clear it. That was a bad way of thinking about it. He _had_ to win, and so he _would_. Setting his confidence, he assumed his fighting stance. Across from him, Lee wordlessly did the same. The world seemed to grow silent; the wind died, and even the birds seemed to be holding their breath. Neither combatant budged an inch for an eternal moment.

Then someone on the sidelines, clearly impatient to start the match, thoughtfully hurled a kunai between them. In the instant it broke their eye contact, Lee sprang into motion.

The battle was begun.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" he cried, leaping into the air and spinning into his signature flying roundhouse kick. Naruto grinned and threw his arms up high right to block and catch the leg --how thoughtful of Bushy Brow to announce his attack like that. Before he even connected, however, Lee twisted in midair, orienting his body upside down and bringing his other foot down in a vertical kick on Naruto's head. Caught off guard, Naruto barely managed to get his left forearm up in time; he felt the blow connect solidly and breathed silent thanks that he'd worn his plated bracers. With his right hand, he tried to fire off a punch into Lee's midsection, but the other boy pushed off with his leg against Naruto's arm and flipped away from it. Catching his fall on his hands, the taijutsu master expertly whirled his body around, leveling out horizontally as he moved to sweep his legs through Naruto's. The blond ninja hopped backwards, avoiding the maneuver, but almost instantly Lee planted his feet and, continuing the rotation of the sweep, came up and forward in a rising punch. Naruto, still in midair, twisted to his left, using that hand to shove Lee's fist out of line. He tried to catch hold of the arm, but Lee was already spinning away from his grab. Both boys landed on a large patch of dirt and skidded a couple of feet further apart, facing each other with equal expressions of appreciation.

The kunai finished vibrating in the trunk of the tree it had struck.

The two combatants rushed forward again, each juking left and right seemingly at random to mask their angles of approach. The instant they met, Naruto threw a quick one-two combo of a high right jab into a low left hook. Lee merely shifted his head to avoid the jab before blocking the heavier punch with a forearm. Shoving the fist away, he threw a amazingly fast left kick at his opponent's head, but when it swept through empty air he just as swiftly drew it back to catch a knee with his shin even as his right hand shot forward in a palm thrust, blocking one with his left simultaneously. Locked in place for an instant, the combatants shoved off each other, flying back a foot or two before immediately jumping back into the fray.

The shinobi slammed together in a furious hail of blows too rapid for anyone present to follow. There was no time for _thinking_; punches and kicks lashed out on instinct even as battle-hardened, lightning-fast reflexes kept both ninja flowing around, against, _in tandem_ with the other's movements. It was like watching an intricate dance where one false step could spell disaster for its participants. The air seemed to shimmer as fist and foot slashed through it even as the ground seemed to quake under the force of every impact. For a long time, neither seemed to gain any headway.

Then suddenly Naruto, stamp-feigning a back step, threw himself to the right. Lee, taken in, rocketed past him; before Bushy Brow could correct for his mistake, Naruto finally managed to catch hold of his arm. Chakra instantly gathered in his other palm, a Rasengan instinctively swirling into existence, but Naruto hitched. _Gah! No ninjutsu!_ The split second of distraction proved to be too long; he felt his jaw rocked by Lee's palm, shaking his hold --and the freed arm shot out into his stomach just before Lee planted another blow squarely on his face. Naruto stumbled back awkwardly; his opponent leapt forward to capitalize on his opening.

The blond trickster flashed a grin before abruptly falling backwards before Lee's onslaught. As Bushy Brow's momentum carried him overhead, Naruto kicked with both legs straight up. Lee twisted in midair to minimize the damage, but Naruto was nevertheless rewarded with a semi-solid impact on the nimble shinobi's ribs. The triumphant shout on his lips melted into a cry of surprise, however, when Lee clamped an arm over his legs and, with a mighty effort, swung the prone ninja off the ground and hurled him into the air.

Naruto barely had time to arrest his wild tumbling before he felt Lee slide into place just below him, between him and the ground. He stiffened. _**Dancing Leaf Shadow!**__ Not good!_ He knew Lee wasn't preparing to use the Lotus --that technique was forbidden-- but that hardly helped the situation; he'd seen from countless examples that someone performing the maneuver could strike at their victim with impunity while remaining practically untouchable. It took expert maneuvering to shake free, and Bushy Brow certainly wasn't going to give him the time to do it. Gritting his teeth, Naruto readied himself for the onslaught.

Because he couldn't see where the blows were coming from, Naruto had to concentrate on reacting in the moment Lee's hand or foot came into view. And they came from _everywhere_; displaying amazing aerial agility, Bushy Brow varied his strikes with systematic precision designed to keep the blond ninja constantly twisting back and forth without stop. The only advantage was that Lee's own proximity, combined with his roiling, whirling maneuvers, prevented him from effectively attacking his victim's unprotected back. Even so, though Naruto handled himself masterfully, he only managed to intercept about one of every four strikes.

A flight of a several seconds passed like a several hours under the assault. As their heads began to orient toward the grassy field and their fall picked up speed, Naruto saw a fist coming in from the left and instinctively rolled to his right--

--and planted his nose in Lee's knee. His head rebounded only to be hammered from behind. Simultaneously, the knee clipped his shoulder, spinning him toward facing the ground only to catch another punch square on his forehead protector. At the end of this abuse, Lee was falling head-first almost vertically while Naruto was poised to perform a belly flop on the turf. The battered ninja forced his eyes open against the smarting pain in time to see his opponent land on his hands, remaining perfectly erect. Grasping what the older boy intended with a jerk of realization, Naruto swung his own legs down and barely managed to connect with Lee's calves, tipping the taijutsu master over and forcing him to flip away, before landing heavily and awkwardly himself. If he'd seen or reacted to it a fraction of a second later, Naruto would have taken the full force of the landing through Lee's rigid heels digging into his stomach. _That would _not_ have felt good_.

They faced each other, once again in their fighting stances. Judging by Lee's appearance, the casual observer wouldn't know the battle had even started. Naruto's breath came with slight effort, he tasted blood he knew trickled from his nose, and his body was suffering from countless new aches, but he wasn't concerned; he hadn't even gotten halfway through his first wind yet, let alone his second. But that didn't mean things were looking good. Lee had been right; in terms of pure fighting skill, he was far outmatched here --it was taking every ounce of grit he had just to keep up with the martial master. If only he could use his jutsu…

He blinked. _Wait a minute…_He mentally reviewed the match rule as Lee had described it, then resisted the urge to slap his forehead, instead throwing up his favorite hand sign.

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_ Suddenly twenty-four Naruto lookalikes shimmered into existence, all sharing the original's predatory grin. He couldn't _believe_ he hadn't thought of it before! Being a ninjutsu, he'd thrown his Shadow Cloning out of consideration from the start. But his clones used taijutsu too, didn't they?

He saw Lee smile and nod approvingly, as if he'd been expecting this. Never one to disappoint, the Uzumaki army charged.

For the next several minutes, Lee fought like the beasts he and his sensei always claimed they were. He whirled in a frenzy of activity, intercepting attacks from every angle in every direction even as he delivered his own. Here he tripped a duplicate and hurled it over his shoulder to intercept an incoming punch even as he leapt forward in a kick to the face of the next copy in line. Here he planted his feet on one clone's chest and flipped off over the heads of the crowd, blocking a dozen blows with his arms and lashing a foot out at an inattentive copy, sending the unfortunate duplicate tumbling into the group of Narutos behind him. Practically every motion the taijutsu master made sent at least one Shadow Clone to its doom in a puff of smoke.

Yet every time his forces dwindled, the real Naruto withdrew from the fight long enough to replenish his clones before leaping back into the fray. Eventually, overwhelming numbers won out; Bushy Brow began to slow a fraction, and a fraction was enough. Unable to react _quite_ in time, Lee took a punch squarely to the cheekbone, knocking him off his feet. The Narutos pounced; like a pinball, Bushy Brow was punched and kicked from clone to clone toward the edge of the crowd, where a roundhouse punch from the original sent him tumbling out into the field. All of Naruto's lookalikes ambled up beside him casually, each of them reflecting his look of satisfaction.

Displaying sturdy resilience, Lee got up without trouble, though his posture suggested he was suffering from several new aches not dissimilar to those he'd given Naruto. He turned to his opponent, smiled with appreciation, and began to stretch.

"That was a good warm-up. Now it is time to get serious!"

Abruptly, Bushy Brow sat on the ground and whipped off his orange leg warmers. Grasping his intentions immediately, an alarmed Naruto rushed with his whole army in a frantic charge to stop the other ninja--

--Too late. Lee finished unbuckling the weights on his legs and, standing quickly, hurled them at his attackers. The deceptively small weight packs were amazingly dense; each of them plowed through six or seven clones without slowing down at all --one splintered a tree trunk at the edge of the field before coming to rest. The rest of the stunned Narutos finally forced their attention back to Lee.

Bushy Brow smirked and waved politely before disappearing into thin air.

Within fractions of a second from each other, every remaining duplicate abruptly exploded in sequence, leading up to the real one being slammed off his feet. Naruto rolled when he hit the ground, immediately getting back to his feet. As he skidded on the dirt, he hurriedly formed the cloning hand sign again. Fifteen duplicates sprang into being but before they could even move were snuffed back out of existence, and Naruto took another pair of blows to the right shoulder blade and left side of the chest for his trouble. Grimacing, he set his legs and brought his arms up in a general guard. No matter how many times he saw it, Lee's unrestricted speed always astonished him; now that Bushy Brow had removed his weights, the only time Naruto might even glimpse the older boy (unless he were lucky) would be just after receiving a punch or kick from him.

He gritted his teeth as three more impacts landed on his back, side, and thigh, a flash of green jumpsuit accompanying them.

Things had just gotten a lot harder.

* * *

Unconsciously clutching her hands together, Hinata watched her favorite blond ninja with growing concern. She'd been as surprised as anyone by Lee's last minute restriction. Naruto had acted like it was no big deal, but it was obvious the fight hadn't been going well for him. He'd matched Lee almost blow for blow for a long while, but she could tell he'd been struggling to keep up the whole time. When the clones had joined the fray, her hope had risen somewhat.

Now, though, watching him helplessly take hit after hit, her spirits had fallen just as far. How could he possibly win now?

She glanced around at the other spectators. Sai and Shino watched impassively, and Shikamaru merely looked bored as always. TenTen was fighting to keep an even face, but it was clear she was proud of her teammate's strong showing. Ino and Choji had been cheering for both sides with gusto; they were now shouting overlapping encouragements to Naruto, worry betrayed in their faces. Hinata looked over at Sakura --surely Naruto's strong-willed kunoichi teammate could reassure her of his inevitable victory. No good; Sakura didn't even notice her glance, her eyes rapt on the battle. She was fiercely trying to cling to her confidence in Naruto, but Hinata could see the anxiety creeping at the edges of her friend's expression. Beyond her, however, Hinata saw Kiba and Neji… smiling? Of everyone there, the two young men --plus Akamaru-- appeared to be the only ones entirely unworried. She watched them exchange a knowing look with each other before turning back to the fight.

Hinata blinked. Kiba and Neji, who had both fought Naruto before; Kiba and Neji, who'd both beaten the hyperactive ninja into a corner, certain that they'd won; Kiba and Neji, who'd both been stunningly defeated by a last-minute brilliant maneuver on Naruto's part; _they_ were unconcerned. _They_ knew what he was capable of, that no matter what he _always_ found a way.

Her faith instantly restored, Hinata turned back to her Naruto, like her friend and cousin patiently waiting for him to defy the odds once again.

* * *

Naruto was dodging on instinct now, jumping when he thought another blow would come, dodging away from where he thought it would land. It wasn't working particularly well; the bumps and bruises he was quickly accumulating could attest to _that_. He _had_ to figure out a way to turn this around.

So he doggedly worked his way through his options. His Shadow Clones were practically useless now --they just got picked off the moment he created them. Most of his other ninjutsu were out, too, under the restriction. Not even evasion techniques like a substitution would help now; Lee would just track him down within a few seconds and the beating would resume in that new location. He could try to outlast Bushy Brow, wait for him to get tired… He snorted. _Yeah, right._

Naruto considered drawing on his feral state for about three seconds before angrily rejecting the idea. He was proving his own strength here, not the Fox's!

But where did that leave him? He wasn't nearly fast enough to actively compete in taijutsu any more --he'd need a distraction. He thought for a moment. He could use _that_ jutsu, _that_ would probably work… he grimaced. No, _that_ would probably cause a knockout, and it definitely wasn't taijutsu. And Sakura would kill him for it, of course. And Hinata…

He glanced over at where the spectators --where Hinata-- stood watching, and suddenly realized that he'd be very reluctant to ever use _that_ jutsu in her presence. He saw her look of confidence and felt his own bolstered somewhat.

A savage blow to the cheekbone spun him to one knee and wrenched his attention back to the fight. Okay, assuming he managed to put together a distraction and it worked, he'd likely only get one attack off before Lee got away, and he doubted his friend would fall for the same trick twice. That meant he had to go for the knockout. He frowned. A knockout in one attack? Bushy Brow specialized in bouncing back from combat hits. There was no way Naruto could put enough force in one strike to keep him down. Unless…

As a new thought occurred to him, Naruto smiled and prepared a hand sign.

* * *

Rock Lee had been born without the ability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu. He also lacked any significant natural talent in his only remaining choice of taijutsu. It was only through hard work in the face of the indifference of his peers that he had advanced as far as he had, had achieved his dream of being a splendid ninja.

That was why he had nothing but the utmost respect for Naruto Uzumaki, especially since learning about the Fox. Like him, Naruto had been deemed a dropout, a loser. Like him, Naruto lacked natural talent, yet had become a fine ninja anyway. Yet Naruto had had to overcome so much more. Lee had encountered apathy in the eyes of the village; Naruto had encountered hate. Lee had built his skills from the ground up; Naruto had brought to heel a power that actively hindered his progress. Lee's sensei had been there to push him along the path of hard work and determination; Naruto had walked it shakily out of despair on his own. Naruto Uzumaki was living proof that passion, drive, and the will to never give up could overcome any obstacle, and Lee was proud to know him.

Naruto had a dream even bigger than his own: to become Hokage and prove to everyone in the world --even those who hated him-- just how far his passion extended. The idea struck a kindred flame in Lee's heart, and he was prepared to do anything in his power to help his friend get there.

He grinned when he saw the smile on Naruto's face in passing. _He has a plan. That is good. Now, let us see if it is effective!_

* * *

"He's not really going to try Shadow Clones again, is he?" Ino asked incredulously. Hinata heard Sakura try to defend his choice, though she did a poor job of sounding convinced herself.

Hinata wasn't worried. She'd seen his smile. She knew what it meant.

"Here it comes…" she whispered.

* * *

Lee came in from behind. He knew that Naruto had formed the Shadow Clone hand sign and he wanted to try and interrupt him by knocking him off balance.

He threw a punch at what should have been the small of Naruto's back, and something unexpected happened; instead of landing on flesh and bone, his fist encountered only the fabric of the long white coat Naruto wore. Because of his velocity, the vacant garment immediately wrapped around him, blinding him and restricting his arms. As he slowed his pace and fumbled with the coat, he glimpsed Naruto sliding along the ground, trying to slam into his legs. He leapt over the blond ninja and flung off the blinding cloth in a single motion--

--to see a pair of Shadow Clones sailing toward him. Without thinking, he punched both of them in the face, causing them to dissipate in their usual fashion, but through the smoke of their demise flew two more clones. Before he could react, they each seized one of his arms, dragging him out of the air and back toward the first Naruto. Flexing his arms, he bashed these two into each other, destroying them as well, but he couldn't arrest his momentum now and there wasn't time for a midair maneuver. Doubtless the Naruto that had slid under him would be standing now, waiting for him. He sighed inwardly. He'd been careless, and Naruto was going to get his plan off. Still, it wasn't a particularly smart plan; the blond ninja would have time for maybe one attack before Lee could spin and kick him across the face for his foolishness, and no matter how powerful, it took more than one hit in these conditions to put the taijutsu master out of the fight.

When he felt the blow, however, his eyes bulged like dinner plates even as his pupils shrank.

"_**Secret Finger Jutsu: Thousand Years of Pain!"**_

* * *

The real Naruto ran forward several steps, and then turned to watch his clones work. Judging the timing, he leapt into the air.

He had to admit, on its own, a bare-handed Secret Finger wasn't that impressive or intimidating. Oh, certainly, it was **excruciatingly** _uncomfortable_, but all it really did was send its victim rocketing off away from the offending fingers.

He reached the top of his jump. As he began his descent, he tucked his legs and rolled forward, picking up rotational momentum.

If someone took advantage of said ballistic energy, though…

Lee let out the high-pitched, screeching yelp that was the common reaction as he fired into the air like a missile --straight toward Naruto. Just before he plowed into the falling ninja, Naruto extended his foot and brought it down in a blazingly fast axe kick on the back of Bushy Brow's head. His trajectory suddenly changed but his speed actually increased by the force of the blow, Lee slammed face first into the ground hard enough not only to leave a crater in the dirt, but to bounce out of it again, coming to rest three feet further along.

Naruto's surviving clone walked up beside him as he landed, both eying Bushy Brow still form carefully. Had he done it?

Suddenly Lee flipped off the ground and onto his feet. Both Narutos groaned in exasperation before the original noticed something: though Lee had resumed his fighting stance, he staggered back and forth unsteadily. This was probably because his eyes didn't focus the same direction but spun chaotically.

"Well done, Naruto," he said, his voice cracking and warbling. "You have passed the Test of Strength. Now I need a nap…" Bushy Brow abruptly gave up the fight to stay conscious and fell over backwards, plopping down on the turf.

The Narutos stared slack-jawed in shock for a moment before slowly turning their heads toward each other. Suddenly they both grinned and shouted "All right!!" Naruto exchanged a high-five with his clone before letting it dissipate and turning to pump his fist in victory toward his spectators, all of whom came walking over.

* * *

Each of them congratulated him in their own way --Sakura with a crushing bear hug, Kiba with a headlock and knuckles grinding into his hair, Shino with a simple nod, and the like. Then, as Sakura and TenTen went to assist Lee, most of the rest said their goodbyes and started to leave.

Naruto gaped in surprise. "H-Hey! What about the rest of the tests?" he shouted after them.

"Haven't you noticed how late it is?" Kiba called over his shoulder. "You can get started on them tomorrow!" Confused, Naruto looked up at the sky --and jerked in surprise. The sun had almost dipped below the horizon. He hadn't even noticed the time fly by.

"Hey, Naruto. If you want to get started on the next test, you can try mine."

He turned to see Shikamaru and Hinata still waiting behind him. Hinata, pink again, merely stood there pushing the tips of her index fingers together meekly. Hands in his pockets and posture sloppy, the lazy ninja smirked and continued. "Lee jumped the gun. I was supposed to be first, since we figured my test would take you the most tries to pass."

Naruto flashed his competitive smile. "Ha! We'll see about that!" he barked, falling back into his fighting posture.

But Shikamaru merely raised an eyebrow. "My test doesn't work like that, knucklehead," he said, sounding annoyed.

Naruto hitched, frowned, and blinked in surprise. "It doesn't?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Think about it; what would it prove if you just beat us all in combat? That you're a good fighter? One brawl is enough to see that." He smirked again. "Nah, here's how my test works: I'll ask you a question. If you can answer it, you can ask me one question. You pass when you can stump me."

Naruto looked incredulous. "That sounds really simple."

"Yeah, well, coming up with anything more complicated would be too much of a drag. You ready or not?"

Looking determined, Naruto nodded.

"All right. Your question's a riddle. 'If you learn all you can about me, I can defeat any of the most powerful ninja in the world. If you leave me behind, your choice will doom you. What am I?'" He gave Naruto a sly look. "Well? Any ideas?"

The other boy laughed. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "The answer is a powerful jutsu!"

"Nope."

Naruto was stunned. "What?!"

Shikamaru looked exasperated but not at all surprised. "No one jutsu can beat every ninja," he said bluntly. Then he yawned. "Oh, well. Try again tomorrow." And with that he ambled off.

Naruto gaped in surprise once more. "Wait! Why can't I try again _now_?!" he yelled, irritated.

Shikamaru turned his head lazily back toward the loudmouth. "And listen to you rattle off random answers? I _hope_ I don't have to tell you how much of a _drag_ that would be." He started to walk off again, waving casually. "Come find me at that ramen place you like."

A new thought occurred to Naruto. "Hey! What if we have missions?" he shouted at the retreating form.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," he called back, not even bothering to turn this time. "I told the Old Lady about our little plan, and she put some crazy excuse in for us. The twelve of us are off duty until you pass the Trials. Or fail miserably." And with that he was gone.

Naruto blinked at this pleasant news, then remembered his last companion and turned to find Hinata exactly the way she'd been five minutes ago. Under his sudden scrutiny, she turned slightly pinker and began to fidget a bit more, playing with a tuft of grass with her foot.

"C-c-con-- congratulations, N-n-naruto," she finally managed to mumble out. "I-I knew you w-would--eep!!" Her voice cut off in a squeak as he whirled her off the ground in a bear hug. He gave a joyful laugh, wondering if she'd ever get use to him doing that.

He stopped abruptly at the sound of a deep rumble they both knew to be his stomach. She giggled at the pathetic expression that came over his face. Then he brightened and looked her in the eye. "Hey, Hinata…" he began hopefully. The tips of their noses barely an inch apart, she smiled at him sweetly.

He grinned. "Do you want to go get some dinner?"

She giggled again.

* * *

(A/N: Warning! Mega-fluff romantic scene below!)

* * *

The sun had long since vanished. Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga, both finished with their meal, sat facing each other on Ichiraku stools under the night sky. As strange as it seemed to both of them, they had never really ever had a chance to sit down and have a normal conversation.

So, by mutual agreement, that's what they did. Just… _talked_. About their lives. About their hopes and fears, about their victories and their painful memories. Hinata blushed the whole time she spoke, aware that he had read everything she said in her diary one month prior, but he hung on every word anyway.

Naruto burned slightly with the old shame he had felt then, but he quickly shoved that away; she had released him from that guilt, and if _she_ could do that, he had no reason to hold to it himself. He also burned with anger. He had read the accounts of her father's neglect and contempt, but hearing them from her own mouth enraged him. The _one thing_ that kept him from stomping over to give Hiashi Hyuuga a piece of his mind --and likely his fists-- was Hinata's hurried assurances that he'd laid off the criticism quite a bit in recent years. In an effort to calm him down further, she quickly changed the subject and asked him to talk for a while.

He hesitated a moment, then began sheepishly. Her heart ached as he once again recounted the stories of his lonely childhood, so much like her own and yet so much more horrible. She listened with pride as he regaled her with his adventures --and blushed slightly when they included her. She watched him wistfully as he spoke of his dream, his eyes gazing off into the distance of the future, his voice full of wonder and hope. Then she saw pain enter his eyes. A weight seemed to settle on his shoulders, making them sag. His voice rasped as he told her of the Elders' decision, and the private dread that went with it: that he might never be accepted, that he might never be able to show the Village how much he cared.

It was insufferable for Hinata to see him like this. She wanted as vehemently as he had to confront those old fools who had hurt him so badly. But even more than that, she wanted to do what she had never had the courage to in all their years of loneliness.

She wanted to comfort the man she loved.

Reaching up, she gently placed her right hand on his cheek. Immediately he looked up at her, a question in his eyes. She smiled with all the warmth she felt in her heart and tenderly stroked his face. Her touch was refreshing, _soothing_, like the kiss of the wind and the smile of the sun all at once. He felt something melt within him, and knew it to be his fear; if nothing else, he would always have a place with his friends. _With her_. He reached up as well, but hesitated when he saw his hand; unlike hers, his was rough and calloused, coarse and battle-worn. Such a thing had no right to touch her delicate skin. He let it drop to his side in disgust, and his gaze turned away in disgrace.

Concerned, she bent her head down into the path of his eyes, seeking them with her own. When he would not meet them, she reached down with her spare hand and seized his discarded one. That jerked him back to her. He watched in wonder as she lifted his hand to her face and pressed it there. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of contentment at the touch. He brought up his left hand, hesitated, and mirrored her, clasping it over the soft warmth caressing his own cheek.

She peeked out at him, and their eyes gazed into each other, shining as brilliantly as any of the stars overhead.

* * *

(End)

* * *

Okay! Thoughts, opinions, and REVIEWS!

Just to clarify, despite what Shikamaru says, _there will be more fights!_ (For example, please note how hard Neji was training his byakugan last chapter...) So I need to know, was it long enough? Too long? Too vague? Too detailed? Just perfect? Let me know so I can improve next time!

Also, since I'm still sorry about missing my self-imposed deadline, (Lee must be rubbing off on me) I'm not going to wait for five reviews to begin chapter three. Instead, I will get started on it right away!

(But, you know, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I might be to work faster... wink wink hint hint)


	3. Sai

-.- This chapter was a _pain in the neck_ to write, for the simple reason that I am not _nearly_ as familiar with Sai as I am the other characters. I've read a bit about his character and abilities, but I've never even seen him outside of random pictures, and I couldn't find any description of the actual _look_ of his jutsu.

So, long story short, I couldn't exactly exclude him from the Trials and so I've written a chapter for him, but he might be a little out of character, and his ink-animals are probably described differently than in the manga. If you're a hardcore Sai fan, please don't hold it against me, and leave me something to improve my picture of this painter, okay? (Ack. Terrible pun. Please forgive.)

**Disclaimer: I owned all rights to the Naruto anime and all its characters once. And then I woke up.**

* * *

Shikamaru lounged comfortably on his stool, leaning lazily against the Ichiraku Ramen Stand's counter as he watched the clouds go by. It was a nice day for it; there were plenty of clouds in the sky, but it wasn't quite overcast and there wasn't a storm-head in sight. He didn't react at all beyond smirking when a large white mass appeared on the next stool over and a mop of blond hair plopped down on the counter beside him.

"Need… ramen…" it said weakly. The owner chuckled and got to work preparing some.

"Good morning, Naruto," the lazy ninja said casually, for it technically still _was_, for another hour or so at least. "Did you give the riddle any more thought?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the weary blond head drag itself up off the tabletop and face him, yawning spectacularly. Blue crescents squinted at him in confusion. Shikamaru wouldn't have been surprised if Naruto had only just noticed him; he could practically _hear_ the gears in his friend's head grinding into motion. He waited a handful of beats in silence, staring at a particularly fluffy nimbus…

Abruptly the would-be Hokage's eyebrows shot up and he jerked himself erect. "Oh, that's right! The riddle!" he exclaimed.

_I'm going to take that as a 'no,'_ Shikamaru thought drily. _What a drag_. "Do you even remember what it _was_?" he asked with a sigh.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked indignant. "Of course I do! At least give me credit for _that_ much! Just… give me a minute." With that he turned back toward the counter and hunched over his folded arms, staring at the counter with a thoughtful frown. Shikamaru, never having so much as turned his head, returned his full attention to his sky and didn't press the other boy.

As the silence dragged on, Naruto's ramen finished cooking, and he began to pick through it as he deliberated. "'…If you leave me behind, your choice will…'" he mumbled around a small mouthful. Suddenly he perked up and quickly slurped the noodles trailing out of his mouth. "Hey!" he barked after a hurried swallow. Shikamaru finally lolled his head expectantly in Naruto's direction.

The blond ninja's eyes shone hopefully. "Is the answer determination?"

Shikamaru smirked again. "'Fraid not," he said easily, prompting Naruto to wilt slightly in disappointment. "Think about it," he continued. "It doesn't matter how _determined_ you are to beat some guy if he's too far out of your league, right?" He turned back to the clouds. The biggest ones were drifting away, it seemed. Sad.

One hand picking at his ramen, Naruto considered the lazy ninja's words. Eventually, he nodded. "Okay," he started slowly, "then is it--"

"Sorry, Naruto," Shikamaru interrupted, pulling himself languidly to his feet. "One try per day." He glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow, one corner of his mouth tugging upward. "Besides, it looks like you've got something else to do right now anyway. See you tomorrow." Shoving his hands in his pockets, the idle ninja strolled off into the crowd.

Baffled, Naruto turned back to his ramen--

--and jumped. Trying to roost on his hand was a small bird of a very strange variety: entirely black and white, with a frozen, lifeless face and feathers that did not stir with its wings. It fluttered upwards a little with his sudden motion, but almost immediately settled back down. Upon doing so, it literally flattened itself against the plate on the nape of his glove. With a small puff of smoke, it was replaced with the words '_Outside main gates. Noon. –Sai._'

Naruto frowned down at the short message. _I _still_ don't get how he __**does**__ that,_ he thought irritably. Nevertheless, he stood and asked for the rest of his order to be put in take-out cups --noon wasn't that long off.

As he headed toward the gates with his lunch under one arm, he glanced at his hand again and grimaced.

_He better hope this washes off…_

* * *

Naruto disposed of the last of the ramen cups and the bag he'd carried them in before striding out of the Village. He didn't have to go far before he found a squirrel of the same artificial nature waiting for him. It turned and fled immediately, though slowly enough for him to follow. It led him on a side path off the main road a short ways. He caught a glimpse of a small glade with tall, healthy grasses--

--when something black swung up out of nowhere and caught him solidly across the face. He slammed heavily on his back against the ground. Biting back curses at the sudden pain, Naruto reflexively tried to flip back upright. It was then that he noticed a couple of things; first, his legs were pinned; second, there was a blade to his throat.

But that wasn't nearly as surprising as the identity of his attacker.

"Sai?!" he sputtered, shocked. "Wha--? What are you doing?"

"You fail," the other boy said flatly as he got up and sheathed his short sword. He stared down emotionlessly at his prone teammate.

Naruto gave a couple short coughs as he sat up with a frown. "Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"You fail," Sai repeated as blunt as ever. "My test to become Hokage. You fail it."

Naruto gaped. _Apparently lazy-butt was wrong about that no-more-fights thing._ Then he snapped to his senses. "That's not fair! You _ambushed_ me!"

At last an expression crept onto Sai's face: a contemptuous sneer. "Death will not wait for you to be _ready_," he said with disdain. "If you are not ready at every moment of every day to face any sort of attack you will not last one week as Hokage." His tone turned matter-of-fact. "And if you don't already know that, you are not only no Hokage but worthless as a ninja as well." He turned and began to walk away.

Naruto's temper flared, but he tamped it back down, tallying the harsh words up to Sai's usual abrasiveness. He and Sakura --and the others-- had put a lot of work into improving Sai's attitude, and it had _seemed_ like the enigmatic young man had come a long way. Now, though, it was almost as if he were back to square one. Naruto sprang to his feet.

"Hey! You have to give me another chance!" he yelled, fighting irritation.

Sai didn't even turn. "Life doesn't offer second chances," he called dismissively.

Naruto grinned. "But nothing stops a ninja from achieving his goal!" He ran forward and leapt in a flying kick at the other boy. Sai merely dipped his head slightly and let it pass over him. Immediately upon landing, Naruto spun into a taijutsu assault on his teammate.

Not even _pretending_ to put up a guard, Sai nonchalantly swayed and bobbed away from every blow. The look on his face suggested tremendous boredom; several times his eyes fluttered closed mid-dodge, as if he were struggling to stay awake. This casual… _indifference_ began to grate on Naruto's nerves. Combined and compounded with the simple fact that he _could not_ seem to land any hits, and the aggravated ninja grew more and more frustrated, and his fighting began to show it. After a particularly clumsy lunge, Sai planted a foot on Naruto's backside and smoothly shoved him to the ground. Naruto rolled onto a skid on his feet, hand dragging along ground and a snarl on his face from the embarrassing move. Sai remained at ease, and even had the nerve to pull out his scroll and brush and start doodling idly.

"Come on!" Naruto growled through gritted teeth. "Fight back!"

Sai threw him a blank glance. "Oh, were we fighting?" he said quizzically. "I hadn't noticed." There was no trace of mockery in his voice, but that only made it even more insulting. Naruto glared kunai at the other boy; Sai met his glower unblinkingly for a long moment. Then he turned back to his scroll.

Naruto grunted as if gut-shot. "Why you--!!" He threw his hands together. _**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_ Four clones popped into existence, and all five Narutos scattered, each moving to approach Sai from a different angle. Just before they attacked, the painting ninja finished one stroke decisively and formed a hand sign around his brush. He was enveloped in a large puff of smoke --and suddenly three grayscale lions appeared and pounced. Four Narutos leapt back; one clone wasn't fast enough and fell to a beautifully painted claw. The survivors grimaced, less from the clone's demise than from the sight of Sai sitting cross-legged on the ground behind his artificial beasts, munching on a couple rice balls he had produced from somewhere and staring at them impassively.

One of the Narutos threw a pellet to the ground that exploded in a brilliant flash. When it faded, one lion was gone, three shuriken whirling through the space it had occupied, ink dripping from their edges. Another was just a heartbeat from catching a Rasengan to the nose. The third clone attempted to get in close with a kunai, but his target reared up and gashed him across the face. The Naruto that had thrown the shuriken leapt through the resulting smoke cloud and caught the upright lion around the neck and bodily hurled it against a nearby tree. All three beasts disposed of, both duplicates turned back to their true opponent--

--to be confronted by two of Sai's ink clones. Still leisurely seated, the real Sai finished the last of his rice balls.

* * *

Sai felt the throbbing in his muscles slowly drain away, his racing heart gradually returning to normal speed; the special pills concealed in the rice balls were working. He'd known going into it that it would be very difficult to successfully evade Naruto's onslaught at all --yesterday's observation had been enough to confirm _that_-- and he was aware that, as the blond ninja's anger grew, so too would the cost of a single misstep. Add to that the crucial need to make his defense seem effortless --one hint of fatigue would ruin everything-- and it was taking Sai every ounce of control and stamina he possessed to keep up the deception. He'd barely made it to the brief pause in dodging, when he quickly seized the opportunity to use his ink jutsu to let his body recover.

His objective was proving to be even more trying than he expected. But he was ANBU. He was _Root_. He would endure.

Before him, the four doppelgangers tangled in the dance of combat, the ink clones as stoic as their creator and the shadow clones having no more luck against them than the original. Speaking of which…

Sai was no fool. He was resting, true, but his senses were still as alert as always --more so, given the relative defenselessness of his position. It was because of this acute focus that he heard the telltale signs he'd been listening for. He lazily turned his head; the real Naruto had almost silently snuck around behind him, and was now leaping toward him, Rasengan in hand. Sai's heart rate picked up again, but he merely quirked an eyebrow at the blond ninja, trying to make it look like he was unimpressed.

The gamble worked.

* * *

Naruto's eyes narrowed, both against the explosion of dust and in disgust at himself; in a flash of anger, he'd swung early. _How is he dodging me so easily?!_ He couldn't figure it out, and it was frustrating the _heck_ out of him.

Twenty feet behind him, Sai spoke. "The Rasengan. Every time I see it, its strength is blatantly apparent." His voice was cold and analytical as always. "I imagine it would be truly formidable if used by a ninja of any considerable talent."

Naruto stiffened. The abuse was _not_ helping his mood. He whirled on the other boy. "What is your _problem_?! Why do you keep badmouthing me?! What did I do?!"

Sai gave him an evaluating stare. "Nothing, and that is exactly the point. This whole time you haven't even been able to touch me, and I've not even been trying. You claim to be a powerful shinobi? I thought you possessed some trace of skill, but now I see it must have been pure luck getting you through all your battles. That and that infernal power that isn't even yours. I cannot determine what the Fifth sees in you, and _certainly_ not what the Third saw. If someone like _you_ became the Sixth, the Leaf Village would be the laughing stock of the shinobi world."

As he spoke, Naruto's jaw clenched tighter and tighter, his eyes filling with wrath and his anger boiling to the point of barely controlled fury.

* * *

Sai carefully watched his teammate's reaction to his words. No good; he was throwing out the worst things he could think of, but Naruto wasn't quite where he wanted him yet. It would take something big to push him over the edge…

Suddenly he had an idea. "The worst thing about you is that you are a failure," he continued blandly. "You failed my test, and so you failed to become Hokage. Thus you have also failed the Fifth, who for some reason had confidence in you."

"Shut up!"

"You failed the Third's expectations, as well as your own."

"SHUT UP!!"

Sai ignored him and went in for the kill. "And you failed to keep your promise to Sakura. You failed _him_." He heard Naruto's breath catch. He struck a pose he remembered from photos of the old Team 7.

In as cool a voice as he could muster, he said, "You're such a _loser_."

* * *

Something within Naruto snapped. Only _one_ person had _ever_ called him that, and coming from him it had come to be a term of endearment. He _would not_ let that friend's memory be tarnished!!

The burning rage in his core spread throughout his veins. He let out an inhuman howl and charged at Sai, eyes blazing red.

* * *

Hinata turned, disappointed, from the ramen stand. He wasn't there, either. With the twelve of them off mission duty courtesy of Tsunade, she'd been hoping to spend some more time with Naruto, but she couldn't seem to find him anywhere.

Just then, she spotted Shikamaru lounging on a nearby rooftop. Remembering his departing words the night before, she hurried through the building and up its stairwell. The lazy ninja was reclining on the very edge of the roof, arms folded behind his head, staring straight up with a wistful expression. She walked over, wondering what he could be doing up here.

"Hey, Hinata. Nice day for watching the clouds, isn't it?"

She blinked and glanced upward. That answered _that_ question. "I s-suppose so," she said politely. "U-um, Sh-Shikamaru? I-I was w-wondering--"

He smirked. "You're looking for Naruto, right?" Feeling her cheeks redden, she simply nodded hopefully. Still looking skyward, he chuckled. "Well, sorry, but I don't have a clue where he is." She wilted. "But wherever he is, he's with Sai."

"O-oh… th-thank you, Shikamaru." That probably meant Naruto was in the middle of the painter ninja's Trial. Sai… There was always something about him that bothered Hinata. He never showed any sign of any emotion at all, and he was always so cold to talk to. There was always this… _stark_ air about him. She didn't know what his Trial was, exactly, but she knew it involved fighting.

Once again Shikamaru seemed to read her thoughts. "Don't worry," he said cheerfully, "this is Naruto we're talking about. He'll be fine."

She smiled gratefully down at him, but the quiet worry in the pit of her stomach would not be stilled for some reason…

* * *

Sai braced himself in all but the obvious ways. That had done it; that was _definitely_ Fox chakra bubbling up. He heard the cry of fury and faced it down stoically.

He silently hoped his confidence in Naruto was well placed.

* * *

As Naruto ran forward, something bounced up into view: the gemstone of Tsunade's necklace. His sharpened eyesight caught the reflection of something in its polished surface. It was… the village gates.

The Village. Did everyone there secretly think this of him? His thoughts flashed back to the Elders and all the people who had sneered hatefully at him over the years. His teeth clenched tighter, lips drawing further back in a snarl.

Another step, another bounce, and something else drew his eye. It was something small and wooden --the Hyuuga symbol he'd carved! He blinked as he thought of Hinata. Her own father had told her she was a miserable failure nearly every day for years. In her place most would have been furious, rebellious, but she merely _took it_ silently. She let him say whatever he wanted, and she resolved to prove him wrong by making herself stronger. He remembered her telling him that he, Naruto, had been her inspiration. She had told him --just last night, even-- how much it meant to her to see him laughing in the face of contempt, never letting the word 'failure' get to him.

Would he now make her a liar?

As if cold water had splashed him in the face, he snapped back to his senses. He found himself standing directly in front of Sai, his own fist trembling one inch from the bridge of his teammate's nose. A hauntingly similar scene flashed through his mind and he shuddered. He dropped his hands to his sides, took a deep breath, and shook his head.

"No." Sai arched an eyebrow at him. Naruto looked him square in the face. "I will not let you bait me. You can taunt me, insult me all you like; I _will not_ give you a reason to. I _know_ who I am. I am Naruto Uzumaki, proud ninja of the Leaf Village and soon-to-be Sixth Hokage. _**Believe it.**_ If you doubt my strength, I will show you my _skills_, **not** my anger." At this, he took two steps back and fell into his fighting stance, his eyes mirroring the ironclad resolve of his words.

Sai stared at him silently, looking entirely unaffected by the speech. Naruto met his gaze unblinkingly. Several long moments passed. Then Sai turned away.

"There is no reason to continue. Now that your mind is in the right place, I would not stand a chance. You pass the Test of Temperance."

Naruto's eyes shot up in confusion and surprise. "Wha-? Wait… then, all of that, all that stuff you said--?"

"Deception is a necessary skill for ninjas. You already know I am talented in it. Congratulations," he said simply as he walked away.

He got a good ten paces away before he heard Naruto finally snap out of his stunned silence with a shout of victory.

* * *

Sai had learned about the Nine-Tailed Fox before he'd even heard the host's name. He was fully aware of all the things the Fox's chakra could do upon his insertion in Team 7. Yet he continually found himself surprised, not by the Fox but by the _ninja_. Early reports on Naruto's character had indicated him to be naïve and thick-headed, and this was partially true --the loudmouthed knucklehead could frequently act highly illogically, abandoning stealth at all the wrong times, constantly being sidetracked from the mission at hand, and rushing to attack far superior forces.

Yet he only ever did so to protect the life or ideals of comrades or dependents. And somehow, he always came through; only once had he ever failed a crucial assignment, and more often than not he beat said enemies. Sai had witnessed Naruto accomplish things that should have been far and away out of his skill level countless times --and it was not the Fox's power that made the difference; Naruto almost never drew on it unless there was no other recourse, and there were situations where not even Fox chakra could help. His startling strength, then, came from his bonds with others.

Seeing this, Sai had decided to experiment with them himself --in trial form, at least. What he found was not increased power, but something else entirely. He wasn't sure what it was, but it filled him with some sort of _peace_ that he was strangely unwilling to relinquish. And something else came with, something he hadn't felt in many long years.

Emotion.

It was wrong, he knew it was; emotion was the ninja's bane, that troublesome thing that clouded his judgment and kept him from focusing on his mission. But now that he felt it, it had become addicting. It filled a void he had not even realized existed, and he wondered how he had endured its absence for so long. The truth was, he was grateful to Naruto for rekindling it.

For all of its benefits, though, Sai never lost sight of the dangers of emotion, particularly anger. Anger made a ninja wild, unpredictable. It dulled his wits and reflexes, made him prone to mistakes. And Naruto was often _predisposed_ toward anger. It had been a risky enterprise to enrage him enough to show him the lesson Sai wanted to teach (he almost _expected_ to sustain heavy injury by the end of it) but if it meant helping his friend become the best--

Sai paused mid-step. _Friend?_ When had that happened? He thought back over all his memories of his new team. He'd heard from someone that it was impossible to get to know Naruto without getting to like him.

A small, genuine smile tugged its way onto his face. He was beginning to suspect they were right.

* * *

Kiba stood just inside the gates waiting for him when he reentered the Village.

"The knucklehead just tore through here practically bouncing from foot to foot. I take it he passed?" the wild ninja asked slyly. Sai nodded once. "Then I guess Akamaru and I'll take him next," he continued, grinning and petting the head of the massive dog behind him.

"Good luck," Sai said simply.

* * *

Hinata stole another glance over at him. Naruto had shown up out of nowhere a short while ago, crowing that he'd passed his second Trial, prompting Hinata to let out the breath she'd been holding since hearing about it. Then Naruto had asked her if she felt like getting dinner again. He didn't have to ask twice.

They weren't going to Ichiraku this time because Naruto had insisted on treating her to a curry place she'd told him she liked and he wouldn't tell her why. Now, as they strolled through the bustle of the streets towards the restaurant, he told her all about Sai's challenge. She listened attentively, but her eye was continually drawn down toward his neck. Was that really…?

"Y'know, Hinata, whatever you're looking at, you _can_ just ask me about it." She jerked in surprise, found him flashing her a sly smirk. Caught red-handed, she began to turn the same color.

"O-oh, u-um, s-sorry…" she sputtered nervously. She took a deep breath and pointed meekly. "I… I s-saw that y-yesterday b-but forgot to a-ask, and, w-well, I'm j-just curious…" Her voice trailed off.

His looked down and saw that she was gesturing at his carving of her clan symbol. Now it was Naruto's turn to blush in embarrassment. "O-oh, this?" he asked sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. At her timid little nod, he gave a weak chuckle and reached to unclasp the necklace. "It's just a little something I made," he said nervously as he handed it to her. "I had to make it out of whatever I could find, so it's not really that good a job--"

"It's beautiful," she said in awe, running a finger over the colored bits of sand embedded in the piece, sparking his famous grin. Eventually she proffered it back to him. As he refastened it, she bit her lip, wondering hopefully, then finally asked, "W-why… why d-did you make it?"

He froze. His hand returned to the back of his neck, and his eyes kept darting back and forth between her own and the ground. Finally he looked squarely at her and, face tight with embarrassment, said, "To remind me of a person precious to me." Before she could react, he stepped forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. When he pulled back their faces were equal shades of deep red. He blinked once before spinning on his heel.

"Okay we better get going we don't want them to close before we get there right? Ha ha!" he said in a rush as he marched off stiffly, the color in his cheeks not fading in the slightest.

Hinata raised a hand to her cheek breathlessly. Then a warm smile lit up her face and she followed him.

* * *

(End)

* * *

My birthday was a week (and a half) ago. Send me a present --leave a review.

That reminds me; in addition to reviews, please feel free to ask me _anything_ about the story. I've got it planned out to the end --and a good part of the sequel, too, so I can probably give you fairly specific answers to any questions you might have. (Unless the answer is a _**really**_ big spoiler --I might resist giving those out)  
Just throwing it out there in case any of you readers are dying to know something.

Oh, by the way, mind cookies to anyone who can identify the slightly-altered movie quote in this chapter.


	4. Kiba

Thank you very much to the ten people who reviewed chapter 3 --I really appreciate the input and well-wishes. : )

The MVR (Most Valued Reviewer) Award for the last chapter and a delicious batch of (insert favorite flavor here) mind cookies goes to

(/-/-_**ani**_-\-\)

for being the _only_ person to correctly answer (in a PM) the end-of-chapter question --let alone being the only one to _attempt_ it.

Accolades and kudos! Praises and thumbs-up!

And now we return you to your (ir)regularly scheduled update.

(Good _gravy_, how did this chapter get so _long?_)

**Disclaimer: I would not be so foolish as to arouse the wrath of the copyright-ninjas, for they are one of the only forces more fearsome than the Anti-Spoiler Ninjas.**

* * *

The next morning found Naruto and Shikamaru once again sitting at the Ichiraku Ramen Stand. Both boys sat silently in front of steaming hot bowls.

Naruto picked at some meat absently as he pondered his lazy friend's riddle.

Shikamaru picked at his ear absently as he pondered his noodles.

Naruto stared down into his bowl. There was a mushroom there, he knew there was, but he couldn't find it; no matter where he poked or prodded, it always managed to stay just out of sight. He breathed a deep sigh and held his head over the bowl. The steam curled up and washed against his face, soothing frowning muscles and easing the locked-up gears in his head. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift back to yesterday's answer and response. Neither offered any insight, but from there his memory shifted naturally into Sai's Trial.

He opened his eyes as an idea came to him. He considered it for a moment, then shrugged; it was worth a shot. He turned to the lazy ninja beside him.

"Hey, Shikamaru…"

The other boy glanced up from the infinite mysteries of pork and garlic.

"…is the answer 'being calm'? Like, having a level head?"

Shikamaru smirked. "That _is_ a good thing to have, but it's not the answer." His smile turned rueful. "If it _were_, guys like me would never lose, right? And we know _that's_ not the case…" He turned back to his bowl.

Naruto sat back to think about this, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Hinata wading through the crowd. He beamed a smile and waved her over.

Still absorbed in the contents of his breakfast, Shikamaru smirked again and said, "Good morning, Kiba."

Naruto turned toward him with a confused frown, but before he could say a word something seized him by the neck and hauled him off his stool; Kiba had him in a headlock.

"'Morning, Shikamaru!" he called back cheerfully over Naruto's struggles and shouts of protest. "Mind if I borrow the knucklehead for a while?"

"Go right ahead." Suddenly Shikamaru stabbed down into his noodles, drawing out the _single_ chunk of sweetened chicken hidden there. He triumphantly popped it in his mouth as he turned toward them. One corner of his mouth quirked upward at the sight of Naruto's futile efforts to free himself. "We're done for the day, so he's all yours."

Kiba flashed a toothy grin. "Great! Well, you heard him, Naruto. Let's get going, shall we?" And with that he briskly walked off, forcing his captive to stumble awkwardly to keep on his feet.

"Wha-- hey! At least let me finish eating first!"

"You can afford to miss one meal, can't you? Take it like a man!"

Naruto managed to twist enough to throw a glance back toward the stand. He saw Hinata, held at bay by Akamaru's tongue, giggle slightly at his predicament, but he could see the disappointment on her face.

"But-- but-- but--" he sputtered in protest.

Kiba smirked mischievously. "Relax, Naruto. You can make out with your girlfriend later --right now you and I need to go play a game of tag in the Forest of Death."

Naruto shut up, scowling at the sudden fire he felt in his cheeks. Ooooh, force-fed dog food was _too good_ for that smug little--

He blinked as the second half of Kiba's words finally registered.

Wait, _what_?

* * *

Naruto was still scowling when they arrived. Waiting for them on the roof of a small shed outside the forest gates was Anko, munching her favorite kebob snacks and swinging her legs like a carefree schoolgirl. She exchanged a cheerful wave with Kiba before Naruto whirled on his friend.

For what must have been the tenth time, he asked, "Now _what_ did you mean by 'a game of tag'?"

The wild ninja rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're persistent, there's no doubting _that_ much." He chuckled. "I meant what I said. See, I figured you've had enough straight-up brawls for a while, so your Trial for the day is the Test of Stealth, versus Akamaru and me."

Naruto looked incredulous, but said, "All right. So how's this going to work?"

Kiba grinned. "Glad you asked." He motioned back to Anko. She threw her last kebob skewer behind her to complete the fair rendition of Hokage Mountain stuck in the closest tree, then hopped to the ground and stepped into the shed. "You remember the bell test Kakashi made you take, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, think of this as an expanded version." Anko reappeared carrying a pair of odd belts that jingled as she strolled over. She offered one to Kiba, and while he put it on she held the other up for Naruto's inspection.

"There are twenty bells here, all mounted on detachable metal rings around the belt. They can shift around pretty freely, but the rings are designed so they won't just fall off --you have to be trying to remove one." She demonstrated the relatively simple procedure. "The belt itself is also woven to be light and flexible but very strong." She gave it a couple hard yanks, producing whip-like _cracks_ accompanied by a chorus of bells. The threading stretched, but only slightly, firmly withstanding the strain. Then she offered the belt and detached bell to the blond boy. "Here. Give it a try and then put it on."

As Naruto complied, Kiba took over the explanation. "_So_. You see how this is gonna work, right? It's just like Kakashi's test, except now you have your own bells to protect, too. You can use any means necessary to get them, but the game's over when you've got all my bells or, more likely, I've got all of yours. Think you can make it at least a _little_ bit of a challenge?"

Naruto flashed his cocky grin. "Think _you_ can keep up _at all_? You just watch, I'll pass your test no problem!"

The wild ninja grinned back. "Ha! We'll see about _that!_" he said, his voice full of challenge. Akamaru huffed an eager agreement.

Anko cleared her throat and arched an eyebrow at Kiba. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I was getting to that…"

Naruto glanced between them, curious. "What?"

Kiba gave Anko a pointed look, causing her to smile and saunter off toward the gate. Then he turned back to his blond friend. "Just a couple special rules you need to know."

"Special rules?"

The irritating smile returned. "Don't worry, they're pretty simple. Even a knucklehead like you can remember them."

The irritated scowl also reappeared. "Just get on with it."

"Okay, first, every bell you've got _has_ to be on your belt at all times --and no hiding them, with genjutsu or anything else. Second, whenever one of us nabs a bell, he has to retreat at least twenty yards away from the other guy before going back for another bell. Third, if the other guy's unconscious, you can only take one bell from him per hour. You get all that?"

Naruto frowned, but nodded. "I don't get the point of those last two, though."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "It's the Test of _Stealth_, remember? The rules are designed around that. Like, what's the point if I can just knock you out and take all your bells at once?"

The blond ninja glowered at him. "I'd love to see you _try_."

The other boy waved dismissively. "Anyway, are you ready to begin, or are we gonna stand here _chatting_ all day?"

Naruto smiled. "By all means, let's get started --I can't wait to kick your butt!"

Kiba smiled too --and then reached over and slammed a palm against his friend's forehead. "Tag, you're it!" As Naruto staggered back, the wild ninja leapt onto his huge dog. "Let's go, Akamaru!" The giant canine barked in assent and tore off toward the gate --which Anko cheerfully nudged open.

"Hey!" When Naruto finally recovered his balance, he glared at the retreating white blur and dashed after it as well, through the gate, up into the branches, and deep into bleak atmosphere of the Forest of Death…

* * *

Naruto growled in annoyance. Not surprisingly, he'd quickly lost sight of Akamaru, and he'd also managed to lose his bearings in the process. He now leapt as quietly as he could through the trees in what he hoped was the right direction, constantly looking for any sign of his opponents' passage. At one relatively isolated branch, he stopped to look around.

The Forest was just like he remembered it: huge, dark, and creepy beyond all reason. He'd heard one or two people describe the place as beautiful in its own strange way, and he supposed he could see where that thought came from; the sunlight shining down between the leaves fell against the massive, gentle curves of moss-covered boughs to paint a scene that could almost be called tranquil --for about four seconds. Then a thirty-foot centipede would crawl into view or headhunter beetles would buzz by overhead to remind one where he was. And always there were those weird, alien yowls and chitterings from unknown creatures that lurked in the deeper shadows of the wood…

Naruto wasn't afraid of the Forest, but he never _enjoyed_ coming here.

Suddenly something on a branch not far off caught his attention. He hopped over to it and knelt down for a closer look. It was a good-sized scratch in the bark, but before he could tell whether it came from Akamaru a shadow drifted across it. Naruto sighed at the poor timing of the clouds and bent closer yet to compensate.

It was then he noticed both that the shadow was quickly growing and that it had several companions. He jerked his head up to see a horde of melon-sized insects tumbling down upon him. With a yelp of surprise Naruto reflexively swatted the first of the bugs aside. He felt an eerie tingling pain on the back of his hand and grimaced. _Chakra-eaters. __**Great**_ Thinking quickly, he reached into his pouch, withdrew a pair of kunai, and spun into a defensive frenzy repelling the torrent of hungry bugs. His guard was not quite perfect; several times he felt a burst of tingling as one of the insects brushed his fingers or the bracers he wore. When he thought he'd gotten the last of them, he slowed--

--only to see he'd been mistaken. "Gah!" One of the nasty little things landed squarely on his face. Another weight hit his shoulder, and he felt something tug at his hip. Immediately Naruto reached up and pried the first little roly-poly free, grimaced disgustedly at it, and flung it away. The one from his shoulder soon tumbled after it to look for prey their group could handle more easily.

Naruto restrained several choice words as he waited for the sunburn-like pain to subside in his face --and his shoulder would be throbbing for a while, he knew. Suddenly he frowned as the last few minutes played through his mind again. His face, his shoulder, and-- --his hip. He glanced down at it: no pain, no bug. A new thought occurred to him and he hurriedly counted his bells.

Nineteen.

Those same choice words resurfaced, but before they could escape Naruto thought he heard a snicker. When he spun to face it, he saw a thin offshoot of leaves shaking to a stop.

Without another thought he tore off in that direction.

* * *

TenTen's mouth twisted in concentration. "I don't know, Lee. What do you think?"

In between blows on the practice dummy, her martial artist teammate grunted out an "About… what… TenTen?"

The markswoman rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "My _Trial_, Lee, my _Trial!_ You know, for Naruto? I can't think of what to do for his Trial!" She waved her hands helplessly. "I can't just fight him --_you_ did that, and I wouldn't stand a chance anyway. Any ideas?"

"Just --_HAA!_-- pick… something… you're --Toh! _Hah!_-- good at."

The corner of her mouth twisted again. "I thought about having a shootout for accuracy and all, but what's the point? Naruto isn't a long-range fighter, and to be perfectly honest, marksmanship isn't really a necessary skill for a Hokage --Tsunade certainly never had much use for it. I just, I feel so _useless!_"

"Why… ask… me?"

"Neji's still training like crazy for his Trial, and Gai-Sensei's, well, Gai-Sensei." She heaved another sigh. "I can see you're busy too. I guess I'll go find someone from the other teams…" She turned and started to leave the gym.

"TenTen, wait." She paused and looked back at Lee. He'd stopped pummeling his dummy and turned to face her. She was surprised by the steel she saw in his eyes. "Whatever you come up with, I know it will be a Trial like no other." He smirked. "And for what it is worth, _I_ think you would give Naruto a run for his money as an opponent. I know both, because I have always known you to be an excellent shinobi." TenTen blushed slightly at his words. Lee struck his nice-guy pose and continued, "You and Neji… I am proud to have you both as my teammates!"

TenTen smiled warmly at him. "And we're proud of _you_, Lee." She laughed. "Even the not-so-cold-and-formal genius of the Hyuuga."

The taijutsu master grinned. "One more thing we owe Naruto. Well, good luck with your Trial, though I doubt you will need it." He turned back to the unfortunate dummy, but his teammate stuck around.

"What are you even doing, Lee? Your Trial is over, right?"

Lee smirked easily as he began with a series of light, quick jabs. "Naruto passed my test, _that_ is true. However! All that means is that, if I wish to continue to challenge him, _I_ must grow even _stronger!_" With that, he lit into it full-on, chaining combo after powerful combo.

She rolled her eyes and smiled good-naturedly. _Boys_… She watched him back flip several feet, then rush back in, juking and weaving as he went. She spotted the gleam of something in his path and shouted, "Wait! Lee, there's a--"

"YIPE!" With a comic yell and bulging eyes, Lee slipped and tumbled headfirst into the dummy with a tremendous _CRASH!_

TenTen winced. "--puddle… there…" she finished weakly. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Hey! That gives me a great idea! Thanks, Lee!" She rushed from the room.

"Any ten, TimeTime…" Lee mumbled as he waited for the world to stop spinning.

* * *

Naruto sprawled out on the forest floor, panting heavily as he stared up at the mid-afternoon sky. The corpses of a couple of things that resembled praying mantises lay sprawled out nearby, along with the various pieces of an enormous centipede and several smaller bugs.

He decided this was really getting old.

The last few hours had followed a simple pattern; Naruto would spot something of Kiba or Akamaru; he would burn a lot of time and distance following them; then he would _encounter_ some of the Forest's denizens; during the confusion, Kiba would sneak in, usually unseen, and snag a bell --two, if he took too long. If they followed true to form this time--

--suddenly Naruto heard and saw a rustle of leaves overhead. He grimaced. Yup. _Really_ old. And annoying. As he got up and leapt into the trees in pursuit, he reflected that if there was _one thing_ that bugged him more than this forest it was people that underestimated him.

In this case, that was a pair of jokers who thought the same tactic would work on him indefinitely.

* * *

Naruto's foot caught on something as he flew through the briars and he tumbled, out of control, to the ground. Face buried in his arms, he bounced to a stop, muttering _unpleasantries_ the whole way. He'd almost caught that flighty coward this time, too.

A new, ominous, yet very familiar sound made his head pop up.

"_Hisssss…"_

Naruto's face contorted in a grimace of an altogether different sort and he slowly shook his head. "A snake. Why is there _always_ a snake?" It wasn't nearly as big as the first snake he'd met here, but the python staring him down now was definitely large in the normal sense, at least.

Their contest lasted several more heartbeats before both sprang into motion. Naruto shoved himself off the ground, floating over the jaws snapping together where his head had just been. Planting his hands on the beast's head, he slammed it to the ground and flipped away. The moment his feet touched the turf, Naruto jumped again over the tail he saw sweeping his way. He misjudged the return speed of that tail, though; almost before he knew it he'd been caught around the ankle and slammed into a tree or two. It might have been three, but the stars exploding before his eyes made it hard to tell. Either way, the next thing he knew the snake had several coils around him, pinning his arms and legs. He struggled mightily, to no avail.

When he felt something tug at his belt again, however, Naruto smirked. The python's coils slackened instantly as it erupted in smoke. Suddenly four Narutos --including the supposed 'victim'-- pounced on the unsuspecting thief. As his clones held Kiba down, the original reached for his opponent's belt --and stopped, frowning; no bells. No _belt_.

This time it was Kiba's turn to smile. In another puff of smoke the wild ninja's form was replaced with that of his wild dog. Akamaru, bigger and physically stronger than his human counterpart, easily shook off the startled shadow clones and bolted into the shadows. The three duplicates took off after him, but the real Naruto stalled just long enough to spot a glimpse of black jacket in the brush.

A determined smile sprouted on his face. _So _that's_ how it is, eh Kiba?_

* * *

Sakura dropped her disposable gloves in the waste receptacle and leaned back in her chair. It was true she and the others were off mission duty, but she still came into work today at the hospital. Working helped her think --this was especially true on a slow day like this one had been. She had just finished with the only semi-serious injury of the day --though still non-life threatening-- so now it was back to her thoughts. Thoughts of her past; thoughts of her future; thoughts of her teammates…

Thoughts of Naruto. She had every faith that he'd continue to tear through his Trials. That meant it would be her turn to test him soon. But not yet… Not until she had time to sort out the riot of conflicting feelings rampaging through her head.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and heaved a deep sigh. Eventually she'd have to stop putting off dealing with him, but for now she had one more excuse --another friend she couldn't neglect.

It was time to visit _him_ again…

* * *

After that first fake-out, the wild ninja had chosen his ambushers more carefully, but Naruto was one step ahead of him; he let a shadow clone fall into the next trap, while he and several more waited and watched. Eventually, the bell-less Kiba rushed in again while the clone was occupied. Several Narutos leapt in to intervene, and the rest in the shadows tensed. As Akamaru once again revealed himself and escaped, the real Kiba fled --into a net of clones.

A bell was taken before he could get away.

A grinning duplicate delivered his prize to the original, who happily snapped it onto his belt, never having budged an inch from the start. He'd quickly decided it had to be shadow clones making his ambushes. He just couldn't move quietly enough with his noisy belt to avoid detection. So, he let his _clones_ be stealthy _for_ him.

* * *

At an identical set-up not much later, the clone web tackled Kiba again --only to have him explode in a puff of smoke. Startled, one of them shouted "Duplicate!" in warning. The real Naruto, hunkered behind a bush, stiffened and leaped suddenly, barely avoiding Kiba's grab. He planted a foot on the back of the wild ninja's head, but with another burst of smoke he saw he'd kicked a log.

"Replacement…" he growled. Akamaru, who'd taken longer to get free this time, finally took off. Knowing he'd eventually rejoin Kiba, all the Narutos gave pursuit, but the original entertained a nagging doubt as he did so.

* * *

The Narutos who'd been tailing Akamaru found themselves slamming into a web of tripwires after a sudden turn. The wires didn't trigger anything, but they quickly tangled and incapacitated their victims. Akamaru, once again in his partner's form, returned and, after a quick bout of sniffing, pointed out the real Naruto, who'd been smart enough to hold back from the crowd. Kiba reappeared and struck --at a log amidst some smoke.

Which is what he himself became when Naruto returned and strong-armed him.

What followed was chaotic: a barrage of replacements, transformations, duplicates and shadow clones stormed through the quickly fading light until no spectator could have told who was who, all to a jingling chorus that only added to the confusion. More than a few bells exchanged hands during this riot of activity, and when both parties finally broke off, it was revealed that Naruto came out on the winning end --still behind overall, but steadily coming back.

* * *

Hinata sat back slowly, rubbing her eyes wearily. She'd waited near the Forest of Death practically all day, but when it became clear her friends would be there overnight, she'd regretfully gone home. She worried about them, but they were both great ninja --she trusted them to be okay.

She meant to go to sleep immediately so she could return early tomorrow, but then an idea had come to her she couldn't ignore, and she'd been up working on it ever since.

She'd convinced herself that she really _did_ need some sleep when not even her Byakugan eyes could stay open, but she felt good about the progress she'd made on this little project.

Just before climbing into bed, she glanced out her window at the moon and wondered if Naruto was looking at the same patch of night sky that she was.

* * *

Naruto sat down heavily and let his limbs droop. Despite his immense fatigue, he smiled; another round or two like that and he'd have Kiba on the ropes. For now, though, it was time for a little nap…

Kiba and Akamaru had to be doing the same elsewhere --Naruto knew that tussle had taken even more out of _them_ than it had _him_-- and he'd set up a tripwire system to wake him with plenty of warning if some of the forest creatures felt like visiting, so he didn't fear any ambush.

As he felt the tug of sleep, Naruto glanced up at the night sky and gave a startled double-take. He could have sworn he'd seen Hinata's pale eyes looking down upon him, so he chuckled when a second look revealed only the moon. Still… with that thought in mind, he nodded off with a smile on his face.

* * *

Kiba had to do some soul-searching the day Naruto revealed his biggest secret. The blond boy had been understandably reluctant to tell him; among the Leaf Twelve, Kiba was remarkably one of the few who'd lost a family member to the Fox.

The truth was, Kiba never even had a chance to meet his father, and it _hurt_. A lot. Because he'd had to grow up hearing his friends brag about the things they did with their dads, because he'd had to endure his mother's and sister's tears when they thought no one was looking, because of the _ache_ these things forced him to feel, he'd grown up _hating_ the Fox.

He didn't know what to think of the fact that it not only lived on, but had done so within one of his best friends. All those years of fantasized vengeance, and the beast had been right under his prized nose the entire time. It was easy to imagine the foul creature sneering at him, _laughing_ at him for his ignorance, and he wanted to hate it all the more for it.

But _Naruto_?

So he'd gone off on his own for a while, to think about it. One thing stuck in his mind the whole time, something Naruto had said before respectfully giving him the space he needed:

"If I could undo everything that happened that day, I _would_. But since I can't, I will use every ounce of strength I have to make sure it will _never_ happen again. _Believe it_."

Kiba could tell, from the gravity of his tone and the look in his eye, that he meant it. _That_ had given him a whole new spin on his self-reflections. Despite missing his father, Kiba had a family that cared for him; Naruto had grown up an only child without _either_ parent. What must that have been like? He knew the hardships the boy had been forced to endure as a child --heck, he'd _caused_ a few, intentionally or not; his own pains felt downright _selfish_ in comparison. Having eventually grown to be good buddies with Naruto over the years, Kiba could clearly see that he and the Fox were _not_ _at all_ the same, but he --the whole village-- had punished him as though he were.

To emerge from all of that injustice still with a desire to protect _everyone_, to atone for crimes he did not commit… Well, Kiba had wondered ever since if he would be as big a man, faced with the same life and the same choice.

Kiba had come back, greeted Naruto with a slap on the back, and acted as though nothing had changed, but from then on he'd been very proud of his friend, and _very_ distasteful of anyone who refused to look past the _past_ --a large part of the Council of Elders, for example. He might never forgive the Fox for taking his father from him, but he could take comfort knowing its power was now in _much_ better hands. Either way, Naruto was too valuable a friend to pass up.

But that didn't mean he had to go easy on him! Whether the knucklehead liked it or not, he and Kiba were rivals forever. He smirked at the long, low tone echoing through the wood --a signal Anko was raising from the central tower as she'd done every hour on the hour since the start. "Let's go, Akamaru…"

The two of them moved to slip through that shoddy wire net and 'liberate' two more bells…

* * *

Naruto woke with a start --his grid had been tripped! He leapt up, instantly alert, but burst out laughing at the sight of his intruder; a squirrel had gotten its foot caught in the wires and was now peevishly trying to free itself. He untangled the little thing and let it go. Then he noticed something odd: he didn't seem to jingle nearly as much when he moved as he thought he had last night. He checked his belt and nearly fell off the branch in surprise.

He only had one bell left!

His mind whirled, but he forced himself to calm down and think it through. The bells couldn't just fall off, and there was no way any of the forest creatures had gotten through his net, so that left only Kiba and Akamaru. But they had to rest, too, didn't they? They'd have to have been at this all night to--

He grimaced and slapped his forehead as a blatantly obvious fact resurfaced: the Inuzuka clan used soldier pills! He felt like kicking himself --not expecting raids from his opponents, he hadn't built the net to ninja standard-- but he took a deep breath, squatted, and worked his way through his options.

Minutes passed and his frown deepened further and further. Nothing he thought of had a good enough chance to work to risk losing his last bell. He kept coming back to _that_ jutsu, but the idea made him uneasy; he'd begun learning _that_ only recently, and he'd never actually tried it. Too, he had no idea what would happen if something went wrong --though he'd heard stories of failed attempts that weren't pretty.

No, the risks were just too great. Then again… the sun was rising and he couldn't think of anything else…

His hand went to his pouch.

* * *

For the eighth time, Hinata _almost_ went up to him, and for the eighth time she did not. Shikamaru waited at the Ichiraku Ramen Stand as he had the last couple of mornings. The difference between then and now was that he lay slumped over the counter fast asleep, despite the owner's questioning looks. She really wanted to ask him if he'd seen Naruto, but it would be rude to wake him…

She was just giving up and turned to go to the Forest anyway when a loud voice boomed from behind her, "Hey, Shikamaru! Have you seen Naruto this morning?" She turned back, wondering who else could be looking for him.

Choji stomped up to the stand, took a seat on the far side of Shikamaru from Hinata, and called out an order for ramen. To her surprise, the lazy ninja immediately pulled his head up from the table upon hearing his friend's voice without a hint of the fatigue he'd appeared to have.

She couldn't see his face, but he spoke cheerfully. "Hey, Choji. Nah, I haven't seen him yet, but since this is Naruto we're talking about that's not saying much."

Choji frowned. "Kiba had him yesterday, didn't he?"

"Yeah. Actually, since I haven't heard anything from Kiba either, they're probably still in the Forest." His voice grew suddenly louder. "Did you hear that, Hinata?"

She jerked in surprise. She still couldn't see his face, but his expression was likely mirrored in Choji's smirk. Turning pink, she called out a stammered thank-you and hurried off.

* * *

Kiba shook his head in disappointment. The last hourly tone they needed to win had just sounded, and Naruto slept on like a rock. He'd even shifted enough that his wire net wouldn't alert him properly any more --Akamaru squatted right on top of at least one of the strands.

The guy started to do so well, too. "Oh well," he said with chagrin as he cheerfully plucked the last bell free and clicked it onto his belt. Then he reached over and shook his friend. "Hey, knucklehead --wake up! Better luck next time, but this test is over. You lose." To his consternation, Naruto immediately sat up and grinned at him--

--and burst into smoke. As they both coughed and sputtered, a voice crowed out from behind him, "Not yet I haven't!" He spun around. Naruto stood behind him, cocky grin in place as he twirled a bell's loop on one finger. Kiba offered a grudging smile. The two ninja stared at each other for all of two seconds before springing into motion away from each other.

Kiba turned to his dog when they were several feet away. "Okay Akamaru, you go follow him. He's only got--" But Akamaru suddenly barked in alarm. Kiba whirled forward again--

"I'll take _that_!"

--to see Naruto sail by and snag another bell as he passed.

Kiba was stunned for a heartbeat. _What in the--_ Then he snapped out of it. "Quick! After him!" The two of them reversed course to follow the blond shinobi, but Kiba felt something tugging at his waist as he jumped. Looking over his shoulder, he saw another Naruto brandishing a grin and another bell. _Shadow clones!_ he thought. Kiba had just enough time to wonder how he, with all his enhanced senses, missed that one's arrival.

Then another unnoticed clone caught him out of the air.

* * *

It was over in fifteen minutes. No matter where they went, Kiba and Akamaru could not get away from the Naruto clones. They would appear literally out of nowhere, and while they would not _disappear_ as quickly, it was impossible to chase one without running into an instantly-made ambush. Even replacement jutsus were ineffective in delaying the torrent of clones --they somehow knew right where to appear. The two of them --dog and shinobi-- had been forced back to back on a branch, picking off the clones as they appeared. It was not a strategy in which they could make any gain --for they had yet to see the real Naruto, whom the clones were undoubtedly returning to-- but it slowed the rate at which they were losing.

There seemed to be a pause in the clones' appearances, so Kiba spared a moment to glance at his belt. He grimaced --two left. Suddenly eight clones appeared --not in a puff of smoke, not with their customary shimmer, but just _there_ one moment where they hadn't been the moment before. The wild duo managed to beat back five, but three managed to slip through and slam headlong into Akamaru. Before Kiba could turn to help his partner, three more Narutos appeared, and two seized his arms.

The third's arrival was heralded with a jingle of bells.

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "Naruto." It was not so much a question as a statement.

The blond ninja straightened and smiled. "You almost had me there, Kiba. But now the game _is_ over. And I've won." He reached over and took one of the two bells from Kiba.

Kiba cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think so. I've still got one more bell and you have to move twenty yards away. Before you do, though, how did you keep finding me all this time?"

Naruto chuckled. "I'll solve both issues for you at the same time." He made a hand sign. The final bell on the other boy's belt exploded in a burst of smoke. When the cloud cleared away, all that remained was a slip of paper with a curious design on it. "You said we couldn't hide our bells, but you didn't say anything about hiding things _as_ bells, did you?"

Kiba gaped at it. "What _is_ that? I've never seen a design like that before."

The blond boy grinned and scratched the back of his neck abashedly. "No one in our generation has. It's a Flying Thunder Seal. My father had a jutsu that allowed him to instantly teleport to anywhere there was one of those seals. If he managed to slip it onto an enemy, he could follow him anywhere." He shrugged. "I've only just recently begun to learn it. To be honest, I'm kinda surprised it worked."

Kiba nodded slowly. "…Which is why you only used it through your shadow clones."

"Until I was confident I wouldn't appear inside a tree, yeah." The clones holding Akamaru and Kiba's arms disappeared. "So. What do you think?"

The wild ninja smirked and shook his head in chagrin. "Well, I think you kind of missed the point of the whole _stealth_ aspect, but yeah, I guess you pass."

* * *

Hinata perked up at the sound of approaching voices. She didn't have to wait long before Naruto, Kiba, Anko and Akamaru came strolling down the path. She stood waiting under a nearby tree as Anko unlocked the gate and the group exited the Forest of Death. Her friends looked very happy to be out. She wondered if Naruto had passed, but the excited grin that appeared when he spotted her and jogged over told her all she needed to know.

She managed to not be quite as surprised this time when he caught her up in a bear hug.

"Hey, Hinata! --I won! There were all these bugs --but of course they were no match for _me_ --oh and there was this squirrel I know you would have loved! --but anyway, I won --and it worked! You should have seen it --I was like _poof!_ and the look on Kiba's face--" He spoke all in a jumble. She couldn't catch half of what he said, but she smiled and hugged him back all the same.

Over her shoulder, Kiba got an impish look on his face and opened his mouth to say something, but a death glare from Naruto --carefully hidden from Hinata-- made him pause, and before he could reattempt, Anko caught him in a headlock and hauled him off. Akamaru looked back and forth between the two groups for a moment before hurrying after Kiba.

Suddenly Hinata noticed something and gasped. Naruto jerked back to look at her. "What? What is it?" he asked with some alarm.

She pinked slightly as her eyes drifted downward. "Your… your coat."

He blinked, and looked over his own shoulder and then under his arms. His long white coat was in tatters. There were countless rips all along the back, and several small stains ranging from blood to dirt to sap. "Oh, that," he said, looking embarrassed. "Don't worry, I'm okay. I just had a close encounter with a patch of briars. Oh, and bugs. Lots of bugs." His tone turned regretful. "But I guess this coat is a loss, huh?" He chuckled weakly, gazing at the beat-up fabric with a glum look.

Hinata bit her lip, looking at the many tears and holes. "U-um, a-actually…" she began hesitantly, "…i-if you like, I c-could try-- try to r-repair it."

His eyes lit up. "Really?" She nodded. "Yes! That'd be great, Hinata, I'd really appreciate it!" He eagerly pulled the coat off and offered it to her.

She took it gingerly, gave it a warm look for a long moment, and smiled up at him. "I-I'll get started right away."

Naruto looked surprised. "What, _now_? I'm not in a hurry --that can wait, can't it?" He was starting to put on his pathetic face again, and Hinata giggled when she realized the last time he ate must have been yesterday morning.

"Okay. Ramen first," she said sweetly.

He lit up in a grin, but before he could say a word a huge arm seized him around the neck. "Sorry Naruto, not right now." Over the blond boy's shouts of dismay, Choji looked at Hinata apologetically. "I'm afraid I need to borrow him for the day, Hinata. Do you mind?"

Her eyes met Naruto's and they searched each other for a moment. They heaved a deep sigh in unison even as she blushed. "N-no, Choji. G-go a-ahead."

As Choji smiled and moved off, she thought she heard Naruto mutter dejectedly, "What is it with you people and headlocks..."

Hinata took another look at the coat in her arms. It was a proud thing from a proud legacy, whose dignity --in her opinion-- was not brought low by its injuries. She knew it, like the man who wore it, would weather any amount of adversity and come out stronger than ever, and she took pride that she could help it on its way.

* * *

(End)

* * *

And there you have it, my latest chapter. (and longest yet!) Post a review, ask me a question about anything story-related, leave me some input! (And please let there be more than ten.)

Also, please be aware that I will _always_ respond to every email I get, be it review or PM. I will _always_ answer any question I get. If you ever write to me and fail to get a response within two or three days, it almost certainly means I did not recieve your email. (That _has_ happened already, at least twice.) If that happens, please resend it --I really don't want to leave you hanging.

As for the next update, I dunno when for sure it will be. Half of my classes are over for the semester, but the other half are heading into crunch time. (Shrugs) I might have loads of writing time, I might have none at all. The next chapter will definitely come before Christmas, I just don't know how soon. Thanks for being patient!

ArcTheJedi


	5. Choji

Okay, so I didn't _quite_ make it by Christmas, but hopefully having an update nearly _twice as long_ as the first chapter makes up for it, right? Right?

...Well, anyway, this is also the first of the non-combat Trials, so it's going to be a bit different than most of the chapters so far. Please let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: Doesn't the fact that I'm writing "fan"fiction imply _by definition_ that I don't own the characters and whatnot?**

* * *

Partially, Naruto was annoyed because Choji had just cost him a perfectly good opportunity to spend time with Hinata. Partially, he was annoyed because his stomach was rumbling to shame the storm clouds in the Land of Lightning.

Whatever else may be irking him, Naruto was _fully_ annoyed that his hefty friend had led him on a winding path through the village for _thirty minutes_ without saying a word.

Finally he broke the silence with a frustrated sigh. "Come _on_ Choji, let's get this over with," he said impatiently. "What's your test and what's the catch?"

Choji glanced over his shoulder at the other boy with a smirk that said he was expecting the question. "Do you know what I do in my spare time, Naruto?" he asked, completely ignoring it.

Naruto returned the glance with a frown. _Where did _that_ come from?_ Trying to conceal his bafflement, he arched an eyebrow and kept his face impassive. "Eat?" he said bluntly.

The hefty ninja threw him a cool look. "_Other_ than that," he said patiently.

The tall blond stared at his friend thoughtfully for a moment. "I'd say _sleep_, but I don't think that's what you're looking for."

Choji smiled and gestured to his right. "I come here."

Naruto suddenly realized they had come to a stop at what must have been their destination. Glancing to his left, he saw an average-looking building just about the right size for a small shop. The place was in good repair, but was obviously well-used; the simple wooden door was worn smooth and adorned with countless scuff marks, a few of the tiles on the roof were beginning to drift loose, and everywhere faded paint was beginning to peel. Words that were probably the name of the place were printed above the door, but they too had long since faded beyond recognition.

"What is this place?" he asked, his interest overcoming his irritation.

"It's a help center."

Naruto glanced back at his friend and saw the other boy beholding the humble building with a sort of proud affection, which only served to heighten his curiosity. "Help center?" he prompted.

Choji turned back to him and nodded. "People throughout the Village come here to post the details of any needs they have, and the volunteers who work here --like me-- help 'em out."

"What kind of needs?"

He shrugged. "Whatever they need help with, really. Anyone can post any sort of request here, but it's usually civilians needing an extra hand with day-to-day stuff --painting a fence, help in the garden, building a shed, random errands, that sort of thing."

His blond friend's eyebrows rose. "That sounds like those beginner missions we got as Genin."

Choji nodded. "Yeah, I heard that several of those actually came from this place. For the most part, though, our shinobi have to be devoted to missions that actually earn money, so it's almost all villagers on the volunteer end, too --I'm basically the only ninja who comes consistently." He clapped a hand on the other boy's shoulder and smiled. "Today, there will be two of us."

Naruto frowned. "Meaning?"

"Meaning my Trial for you is to work for the Leaf Village Volunteer Help Center for one day. For the next twenty-four hours, you are a volunteer."

Naruto's frown deepened into a suspicious scowl, and he gave his hefty friend a close look. "That's it?" he asked pointedly. It seemed simple enough, and even something he would enjoy --it might be a bit boring, but he could definitely get behind the idea of helping the Village like this. The problem was just that; it sounded _too_ easy.

But Choji just nodded agreeably. "That's it."

Naruto studied at him silently for a moment. Then he perked up. "All right!" he said cheerfully. "I'll just go grab some breakfast and we can get started!" He spun on his heel and took one step--

"Hold it, Naruto."

His shoulders slumped and his head sagged forward. _I knew it_. His stomach groaned, and he heaved an exasperated sigh in sympathy before turning back to the other boy. "The catch?" he asked, expecting the worst.

Choji merely looked amused at the other boy's dramatic display. "You asked what my test was: _Endurance_. Along those lines, you are not allowed to sleep one minute or eat so much as a crumb until your service is over."

Naruto's jaw dropped in horror. "What?! _Why?!_"

Choji's face hardened and he gave Naruto a serious look. "As Hokage, you will go through stressful times, occasions when you will be pressed beyond the norm. There may come times when you have to go a _week_ without sleep, _two_ without a decent meal. I even heard the Third once went an entire month without either. Whether that's true or not, the Hokage has to put everyone's health and well-being above his own without complaint. Could you do that, Naruto? Prove to me that you can endure the sacrifice."

His friend's words struck Naruto to the core, and he felt a calm resolve firmly take hold. His stomach forgotten, he nodded solemnly. "When do we start?"

Choji nodded toward the help center. "As soon as you step through that door." Without another word, Naruto turned and approached the building. As he reached for the door, however, Choji spoke again.

"Naruto. …There's one more thing." The tall blond glanced back at him and was surprised to see a look of… sympathy? Apology? Whatever it was, he hesitated a moment before continuing. "Most of the people who make use this place are from the older generations --folks our age tend to be more on the volunteer end of things." He fell silent.

"…So?" Naruto asked warily.

Choji grimaced. "So almost everyone you meet today will _know_. About you and… _it_. Many will have painful memories of that day."

Naruto's hand went to his stomach and he found his throat suddenly dry. Like turning a coin to see the other face, he suddenly saw the other reason this day would be a real Test of Endurance…

* * *

Naruto's heart was still beating in anticipation when they arrived at their first job, at a good-sized farmhouse on the fringe of the Village. Choji knocked on the door and called out a greeting. Naruto took a deep breath to steel himself.

The tall, slender man who answered the knock had the calluses and tan of a farmer. The sandy brown hair on his head went untamed but the fuzz on his chin was neatly shaved. He wore simple clothes and an easy smile that grew into a jolly grin when he saw his visitors.

"Choji!" he laughed. "It's good to see you again! How's the ninja business going?"

The hefty boy smiled back at him. "Always a pleasure, Irido. It's been kinda slow recently --we actually have time to kill for a change."

The man --Irido-- nodded sympathetically before turning to Naruto. A spark of recognition lit in his eyes, but it vanished into the cheer in his face. "And who's your friend here?" he laughed.

Naruto, caught off guard by this man's _friendly_ demeanor, took a moment to respond. He gave a sudden start at the question and began a hasty bow of respect. "O-oh, I'm… I'm Naruto…"

"Uzumaki, right? My name is Irido Ishino. Glad to finally meet you!" Naruto's eyes shot back up to find the man wearing a warm, earnest smile, and he was stunned for it. _**Glad**__ to meet __**me?**_ He barely had time to register that Irido had seized his right hand in his own and was shaking it firmly before the farmer had released him and glanced back and forth between the two of them. "So, what can I do for you boys?"

Choji laughed. "The question is what _we_ can do for _you_, Irido. You posted a request for a couple of field hands, didn't you?"

"Oh! Yes, that we did, and we're just about to get started, too! Come on in!" the farmer said loudly, and glancing at Naruto, he added cheerfully, "I'll introduce you to everyone!" With that he turned and vanished into the house. Choji followed without hesitation and Naruto hurried to catch up.

He heard Irido calling out that their hands from the Center had arrived, and for everyone to come say hello. That instigated a veritable flood of more brothers, sisters, in-laws, and children than Naruto could ever hope to remember. Many of the men strongly resembled Irido, and _all_ the relatives seemed to share his sentiment; backslaps and kind greetings --all marked by good cheer-- abounded for the both of them amidst a maelstrom of laughter and high-spirited conversation. Naruto, never having spent much time around large families, was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed, and he wondered how Choji seemed to be taking it in stride as he did.

Too, everyone here seemed to know who he was, and yet there was no hint of resentment or hostility to be found. It was a strange deviation from the norm for Naruto, and the change only served to disorient him further.

Suddenly Naruto found himself face-to-face with a young boy not quite into his teenage years, introduced to him as Zano Ishino, Irido's own son. The boy looked at him with the sort of starry-eyed admiration he'd only ever remembered receiving from Konohamaru. "You're Naruto Uzumaki! You trained under one of the legendary Sannin! You rose from Genin to Jonin in just one month! You beat Akatsuki singled-handed!" He spoke all in a blurting gush, and the wonder in his voice made Naruto almost want to blush. Choji's only-partially stifled laughter didn't help.

"Well, I don't know about _single-handed_," he began, scratching the back of his neck abashedly, "but yeah, I guess I did those things."

"_Oh man, you gotta tell me about--"_

"Calm down, Zano," a new voice called out. It had a slight rasp to it, and it was quieter than any so far, but all conversation in the room --all sound, in fact-- ceased upon hearing it. Two of Irido's brothers parted to let another man pass between them. Many long years of experience showed on his face and in his eyes to match the grey creeping into his hair, but one could not quite call him _old_ --for one thing, he stood perfectly erect, proudly and firmly. Too, the half-shirt he wore clearly displayed the healthy tan and defined muscles of his left arm and flank. Though he was a head shorter than most of the men in the room, he seemed to dwarf everyone present, and the evident reverence in which the family held him confirmed for Naruto that this was indeed a great man. "You will have plenty of time to hear young Uzumaki's stories as we work. Right now, I would like a chance to meet him, if I may." He walked slowly, with defined steps, to stand directly in front of the blond boy.

Off to the side, Irido smiled proudly and declared, "Naruto, meet my father, Tsuyoken Ishino."

Tsuyoken stood there silently a moment, sizing the boy up with eyes that seemed to see more than simple flesh and bone. Naruto, at a loss for anything to say, began to bow with the respect the man was obviously due, but a clucking noise made him look back up.

"No, no, no, that is much too formal for a simple farmer like me," Tsuyoken admonished lightly, almost jokingly. Then his wizened face lit up with a warm smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you, young Naruto. It's true what I've heard; you resemble your father so much." He extended a hand for a shake.

Naruto, stunned by the magnitude of the comment, gave a start and moved to accept it --only to realize that Tsuyoken had offered his _left_ hand. He murmured a quick apology and switched. As they shook, he glanced at the man's right side and hitched; the arm was hidden by a bulky sleeve, but Naruto's trained ninja eye could see that it hung limply. The barely visible fingertips were completely swathed in medical tape, and it was easy to imagine that the gauze extended up the entire arm.

Something about the injury gave Naruto a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, but before he could ask about it, Tsuyoken raised his voice and looked around. "Okay, everyone. These boys almost certainly have a busy day ahead of them --we mustn't keep them any longer than we have to. Let's get started, shall we?"

In the riot of cheers and motion that followed, Naruto found himself caught up in a stampede --eagerly pulled along, he saw, by young Zano. He glanced to his right and met Choji's eyes. His hefty friend, likewise ensnared in the bustle, gave him a knowing smile and shrugged. Still a bit breathless from the entire situation, Naruto just chuckled and shook his head. Whatever else might follow, the _start_ of this day was certainly proving to be _interesting_, to say the least.

* * *

The next couple of hours seemed to pass in a blur. There was a lot of field to tend, but then, there were a lot of Ishinos as well. The process would have gone even faster if Naruto had created some Shadow Clones, but he wanted to save his energy for the rest of the day.

At least, that's what he told himself. In reality, he didn't want the job to pass any quicker. The Ishino family was just as jovial and out-going in work as it was in greeting. They told jokes and teased each other good-naturedly. They gave slaps on the back for good work and cheerfully pitched in wherever help was needed. In all of this, they included Naruto and Choji without thought. The children were constantly pressing the two of them for stories of their adventures --Zano was particularly eager to hear Naruto's exploits-- while the older family members tended to ask more about their lives apart from missions and training. Every Ishino within earshot listened to each tale with equal zeal, and they spun their own stories in return.

For once in his life, Naruto began to feel entirely _normal_.

Even so, there remained one tiny detail, always at the periphery, a little nagging thought he couldn't bring himself to ignore…

* * *

A dim roar of laughter arose on the wind coming from the Ishino fields. _Someone must have told one heck of a joke_, thought Shikamaru with a smirk. The lazy ninja had been observing the collective efforts for a while now, lounging on the branch of a tree a fair ways away. His friends seemed to be having such a good time that he almost went over to join them. He didn't for two reasons: first, it would be _work_ --manual labor, which in itself was too much of a drag.

Second, it would mean confronting the reason he had climbed this tree in the first place.

Ino glared up at him, exasperated, from the base of the trunk. "Look, all I'm saying is that he's been working really hard --at the rate he's going, he'll be more than half-done in no time! I just think he deserves a little celebration, don't you?"

Shikamaru glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Yeah, right. You just want an excuse to throw a party." His blond teammate began to protest indignantly, but before she could speak he cut her off with a hand gesture. "Regardless of your motives, what I want to know is what any of this has got to do with _me_."

She put on an overly innocent look. "Well," she began sweetly, "obviously this is going to take a lot of effort to put together, and I just don't know if I can do it all myself…"

_I knew it._ "**No.** Not a chance in the world, Ino." Planning a _party_ with _Ino_? It'd be easier to batter his own brains out _right now_ and save himself the tears for his sanity later. He turned back to watch Choji entertain a few kids in a spare moment. He recognized the story from the hand motions and chuckled.

After a short moment of silence, Ino heaved a big sigh and said, "Oh, well…" _That_ instantly got his full attention --she was giving up _way_ too easily. She stared wistfully off into the sky, looking as sad and forlorn as she could. Shikamaru studied her suspiciously. "It's too bad; little Saru already agreed to help me, and he was _so_ looking forward to spending time with 'Uncle Shika'." With this her eyes slid back toward him mischievously.

The lazy ninja's own eyes narrowed. _Oooh, low blow, Ino_. "If you think _for one second_ that bringing the kid into this is going to change my mind--"

"He really is starting to look like sensei, isn't he?"

Shikamaru's jaw slammed shut and he glowered at her. It was an absurd idea, he _knew_ it was, that a little boy barely out of his toddler years could resemble a bearded, cigarette-smoking, trench-knife-wielding, battle-hardened warrior ninja. Yet there was something, some spark in the kid's face or behavior, that always reminded Shikamaru of the boy's late father. He grimaced at the picture of Saru Yuhi that surfaced in his mind.

_What a drag…_With a defeated sigh, the lazy ninja slid off the branch and landed next to the blond girl. "All right Ino, you win."

She smirked at him triumphantly. "I swear, no matter how much you try to hide it you're just _such_ a softie, Shikamaru."

His eyebrow twitched irritably. "And you're an annoying, _troublesome_ woman, you know that?"

She laughed, stepped forward and gave him a quick kiss. "Love you anyway," she said teasingly.

With an amazing display of mental reserve and willpower, Shikamaru managed to keep his cheeks from reddening --mostly. "All right, if we're gonna do this, we need to get started," he said, setting off briskly to cover the slight lapse. Ino quickly caught up and threaded her fingers through his.

He decided he didn't quite mind losing this round.

* * *

Naruto finally managed to build up his nerve; he had to _know_.

"Zano…" he began. The boy looked up eagerly. Naruto glanced over to where Tsuyoken was repairing a patch of soil from an uprooted stump, masterfully using only his left arm. The older farmer had been there working just as hard as the rest of his family. He had remained quiet, for the most part, only occasionally adding details to his sons' stories --though he smiled and chuckled right along with the rest of them. Naruto hesitated before continuing. "Your grandfather… what happened to his arm?"

Zano paled and looked uncomfortable, drawing Naruto's attention instantly. The boy turned awkwardly back to the tools he was packing away and didn't speak for a long moment. Naruto glanced over at Choji, but the hefty ninja consciously avoided his look and moved away. He frowned at this, but just as he was about to press the question, Zano said quietly, "It's burned. Very badly burned."

The cold feeling returned to Naruto's stomach, but he thrust it aside and pressed on. "Why didn't he go to the Village hospital? Surely the medics could--"

"I'm sure they could, under normal circumstances," said Tsuyoken, startling them both --in their distraction, neither had heard him approach. Naruto spun toward him and winced. The gentle farmer had let his sleeve slip off his shoulder, displaying the extent of his wound; the bandages did indeed span his entire arm, as well as a good portion of his right flank. "But I'm afraid it was no natural fire that gave me this."

Naruto's mouth was dry as he stared at the withered arm --muscle atrophy made it clear this was no recent injury. "What happened?" he asked hoarsely, afraid he already knew the answer.

The corners of Tsuyoken's eyes were tight, but he spoke without hesitation or regret. "I took this burn while protecting my family from catastrophe a little over nineteen years ago."

Naruto's head slumped forward, his eyes going sadly to his stomach. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

"For what?" He was surprised to feel the older man's good hand clap firmly on his shoulder. He looked up to see Tsuyoken regarding him with… compassion? "Did _you_ attack the Leaf Village? Did _you_ burn my shoulder?"

"Well… n-no…" Naruto said with uncertainty.

"Then what do you have to be sorry for?" Tsuyoken smiled. "I have never regretted losing the use of this arm, because that was the price for my son's life." Zano beamed at his grandfather but remained silent.

"But that's just it!" Naruto protested. "If this, this _thing_ inside of me hadn't been there--"

The hand on his shoulder squeezed it gently. "Come. Let me show you something."

* * *

At Tsuyoken's insistence, Naruto found himself studying a curious plant placed in the center of the Ishino fields, fenced in and a good distance away from any other vegetation. He'd often wondered about it over the time they had been working, but no one ever made any move to tend to it, so he'd let it alone.

It was, put simply, a nasty little thing; its coloration was sickly green and brown mixed with dirty black; wicked thorns thickly covered every inch of its stalk; even its leaves were serrated, and stiff enough to actually cut. Naruto wouldn't have been surprised to discover it was as venomous as it looked.

When he shared these observations with Tsuyoken, the older man nodded. "You are right, on all counts. What's more, it is always growing creeper vines out in a fairly wide spread from itself. If any other plant tries to grow too close to it --within five or six feet-- the creepers will quickly catch it and strangle it to death."

The blond boy gasped and glanced around. "If that's the case, why on earth do you have it right in the middle of all these plants?"

Tsuyoken gave him a secretive smile. Rather than answer, he knelt down and, pulling a small knife from his belt, dug into the dirt at his feet. After a short pause, he said, "Come take a look."

Naruto obeyed. Within the small hole, he saw white, feathery roots. There was a strange, almost artistic glint to their color, and they were covered with wispy hairs that penetrated a great deal of the surrounding soil. The roots seemed delicate --almost fragile-- but Tsuyoken gave one strand a good tug to show that they were actually quite strong.

"These roots," the gentle farmer explained, "come from that very same plant. They do much to enrich whatever soil they can reach --and they reach _far_, much farther than the creepers on the surface. Unlike the vines, the roots intertwine with other plants but do not harm them. Every new root system they encounter they bond with and use as an anchor to reach further. In this way, this one plant is doing more to help this entire farm than anything else." He looked Naruto squarely in the eye. "So you see? Sometimes you have to look beyond the surface to see something's true worth." To punctuate his point, he reached out and tapped Naruto lightly on the chest.

Naruto felt his eyes moisten as he looked back at the man gratefully. "Thank you," he said.

Tsuyoken smiled and turned back to the roots, working at them with his knife. "Maybe that simple truth is so obvious to us farmers because we have such a clear example. But you know, I'll bet this plant was held in contempt for a long time --and its stalk and creepers certainly deserved it. Eventually, though, people began to notice all the good things it did as well. All it took was time." He finished what he was doing and, setting aside his knife, handed a pair of segments of root to Naruto, who received them gingerly.

At the boy's questioning look, Tsuyoken explained, "If prepared properly, certain rare shoots of the root --like those two-- can serve as a remedy for a vast range of illnesses, or a good salve for any number of things it can't cure. These bandages are lined with them, for example. You may use those in that manner, or simply keep them as a reminder, either way."

Naruto threw a stunned glance at the roots in his hands, then quickly looked back at the older man and shook his head. "Wait, if these are really that valuable, I can't accept them for free."

But the elder Ishino refused to take them back. "We all owe you and your father so much more," he said resolutely. Then he smiled. "Just promise me you will continue to be a man he could be proud of."

Naruto Uzumaki, proud ninja of the Leaf Village, regarded the simple, humble farmer Tsuyoken Ishino with profound respect. His face settled into firm lines. "I will." He slipped the roots into his pouch with great care.

Irido, Zano, and Choji, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward. "Well, the work is done, and Choji says you've got a lot to do yet today," Irido began with his characteristic smile, "but you've got to be hungry from all that work. Would you boys care to join us for some eats? We'd be happy to have you." Zano was looking right at Naruto, trying not to look too eager or hopeful.

Naruto looked at the other ninja, who regarded him evenly and silently, waiting for his response. "Thank you, Irido," he said with a smirk, "but I'm afraid we'll have to decline." He winced as his stomach picked right then to rumble in protest.

Irido quirked an eyebrow at this, but he seemed more amused than confused. With a cheerful shrug, he said, "Okay, you must have your reasons. But listen, if you ever want a warm meal and good, plain folks to eat it with, look us up, all right?"

Zano, who had wilted disappointedly, suddenly perked up again. "Hey, yeah, you could come back to visit! You will, won't you?"

The blond ninja glanced between all three generations of Ishino farmers and smiled. "Yeah, I think I will," he said quietly.

On their way back to the Center, Choji turned to his friend. "They leave quite the impression, don't they?" he asked with a smirk.

Naruto just laughed.

* * *

None of the subsequent requests the pair took the rest of the day took as much time as the first, but many seemed to last _years_ longer, as Naruto was reminded that not everyone had made as much progress "looking beyond the surface."

At the very next job, the woman welcomed Choji with a grateful smile and Naruto with a suspicious sneer. She would not let the blond boy near her house --she said she didn't trust him not to steal or wreck anything-- and the entire time they were painting her fence she was watching Naruto like a hawk, quick to point out the tiniest flaw in his work.

Another woman slammed her door when she saw who was approaching and told the two the list of groceries she needed from the other side of what sounded like at least three locks and bolts. When they returned with the required items, they had to leave them on the doorstop --she would not come out until "_it_" was "as far away from her home as possible."

One man glared at Naruto with a simmering fury to melt steel. He turned them away entirely; rather than accept the boys' help he canceled his request.

Naruto gritted his teeth but did not snap back at them. Years ago, he would have told these people _exactly_ what he thought of _them_, but now he said nothing, because he saw there was nothing he could _say_.

He had two touchstones throughout the ordeal. One was Choji himself; the other boy remained quiet during their employers' abuses, and he was only ever polite when he spoke to them at all, but Naruto could tell it was forced at the worst times --a couple of instances he was surprised to see more anger in his friend's eyes than he felt himself. Whenever someone offered Choji something they denied Naruto, he would courteously but firmly refuse.

The other touchstone was the roots in his pouch. Whenever someone was especially bitter or insulting, he would discreetly reach his hand in to brush his fingers against them. _"Eventually, though, people began to notice all the good things it did as well."_ He could hear the kind farmer's words in his head. _"All it took was time."_

This reminder, along with the knowledge that a friend was there to bear it with him, made all the maltreatment _bearable_.

Which is not to say that the whole day was rotten; indeed, for every person who looked down on Naruto, there were as many small victories to make up for them. To his surprise, there were a large number of people like the Ishinos, who actually _liked_ him and appreciated all he'd done. Many of these actually went out of their way to apologize for the way they'd treated him in the past, and all of them told him he was welcome in their homes. There were at least as many of this kind of folk as there were their bitter opposites.

What made the biggest difference to Naruto, however, were the people in the middle. Several of the people they met seemed to study the blond boy with a mixture of puzzlement and curiosity. They seldom said much, only watched and wondered; Naruto could picture Tsuyoken saying they were just in the midst of seeing the improvement in the soil beneath their feet.

As he and Choji were fixing the roof of an apartment, the woman who owned it was leaning casually against her balcony railing, spouting stories of all the terrible things she'd heard the Fox had done on its rampage. Suddenly the railing gave way and she stumbled, but in a blur of motion Naruto caught her before she could fall. Calmly and gently, he asked her if she was all right. Stunned and flustered, she told him gruffly that she was, and ordered him back to work. But she was silent for the rest of the job, seeming to be lost in thought. She noticed but didn't say a word when, the roof being finished, Naruto went on to fix her railing.

Just as they were about to leave, she offered a quiet thanks.

* * *

Naruto had not been the easiest person to befriend. He was loud, obnoxious, hot-tempered and stubborn, and he made it _very_ clear that he was not inclined to like anyone who didn't give him a reason to. That had put Choji off for a long time --he may have been lonely as a child, but he certainly didn't feel the inclination to approach the rude, defiant loudmouth.

Then, on their first mission together, he'd finally discovered that Naruto didn't really need much of a 'reason' at all. At that point, when he began to see Naruto as his friend, he remembered wondering if _he'd_ been _Naruto's_ friend for even longer, longer than he knew.

Regardless, it was an entirely new viewpoint for Choji. Yes, Naruto was fiery and hard-headed, but he was also fiercely loyal. He was always eager to help out, no matter the favor needed. Constantly on the lookout for the people he cared about, he was the first to stand up for a buddy --even if he or she wouldn't stand up for _themselves_-- and he didn't care who he had to defy doing it. Faults the rest of the world sneered down upon didn't matter at all to Naruto --he would never, _ever_ give up on a friend. A bond made with the guy was a bond made for life, and Choji had come to appreciate it greatly.

Still, eventually Choji had come to notice something strange; aside from the eleven of them, one junior team, the Hokage and a handful of others, Naruto didn't really associate with much of anyone else. Being such an admirable person, Choji didn't understand why the guy remained so aloof from his own Village. He also knew that, when they were younger, the general consensus among most of the kids he knew was to kick the blond boy away, to leave him out and ignore him; this too he couldn't comprehend.

Then he learned about the Fox, and suddenly everything about Naruto made sense: why all manner of people mistreated him; why he could overlook any seemingly major flaw in his friends; why he often stood off to the side in the corner during social events.

It didn't sit right with Choji. By that point, he'd been working at the Center for a while, and he knew that public opinion about the blond ninja had swung quite a ways from what Naruto clearly thought it still was. So when the plan for the Trial by Leaves had been presented to him, this idea came to mind almost instantly. Certainly, he knew there would be trying times for his friend, but Naruto had to know that the Village was not quite as stacked against him as it had been once.

That it meshed so well with the trait he admired most about the Hokage was likely no coincidence.

* * *

Hinata had been just about to step through the door of a shop when she heard what she knew to be Naruto's voice. Curious, she put off her errand to go see what he was up to. She found him in a park around the corner with Choji, playing with a crowd of small children. She also spotted a man watching contentedly and nursing an ankle on a nearby bench and smiled --she'd heard what the two of them had been doing all day, and she had been very proud.

She watched the happy scene for a long moment and took in the warmth it gave her. She wished that more of his days could pass like this. She saw him chase and tumble and laugh with the kids, and she giggled; she'd always known that he would be great with children.

Without warning, that thought produced in Hinata a strange feeling she could not identify. It felt like …_desire_? Some mysterious sort of _yearning_? Whatever it was, it set her heart to pounding and made her blush even more furiously than normal.

Still a healthy shade of red, she hurried back to her errand.

* * *

The sun was on its way down and Naruto was feeling good. He was pleased with all the good work he and Choji had been able to do for the villagers, and there hadn't been an _unpleasant_ job for a while now. As he began to enjoy himself more and more, he'd begun to notice certain things.

Like how the girl at the Center who gave them their assignments --an old friend of Choji's, who'd been so frantic this morning and so grateful for their help-- would let her hand linger on Choji's. Like how his hefty friend didn't seem to mind.

Like Ino and Shikamaru arguing animatedly over something in a café --and growing curiously silent as the two of them passed by.

Like Hinata carrying a white bundle into a shop. That wouldn't have been odd, because he knew she said she was going to repair his coat, except that the shop she entered didn't have any of the supplies she'd need.

He shrugged inwardly --plenty of mysteries for another time. Right now, he and Choji were on their way to what would be the last request of the day --the two of them had actually managed to clear off the entire posting board at the Center. As he had before every job, Naruto felt a bit uneasy about how these people would receive him, but he shook it off; whatever happened would happen.

* * *

Choji gave their work one last inspection, then turned to his friend and said cheerfully, "Okay, that about does it!"

Naruto smiled and jogged over to the old couple. "We're finished!" he announced. "Come take a look." The elderly woman got up without a word and went with him around the corner of their house. The old man reached for his cane and followed along a short ways behind.

A portion of the kitchen wall had been knocked in by a falling tree branch. Choji pointed out the repairs they had made and described how they disposed of the waste wood. Then Naruto took pride in telling the woman that they'd even managed to fix the stove that had taken a great deal of the impact.

The woman regarded their work silently, no emotion playing across her face. She did not move for so long that Naruto began to worry. "Ma'am?" he prompted.

She turned to look at him and her eyes hardened. "Do not expect a _thank you_," she said suddenly. "You can't even begin to cover the debt that _thing_ has incurred for you." She reached out and jabbed his stomach sharply with a wrinkled finger.

To Naruto, it felt like a massive punch, knocking the wind out of him. His expression tightened and he gritted out resolutely, "If there's anything more I can do for you--"

"Can you bring my son back?!" she cried frantically, clutching his jacket with white-knuckled hands. "Can you bring that precious boy back to his mother who misses him so?! Can you return his smiling face to me?!"

The acute pain and sorrow and anguish in her voice found echoes in Naruto's own heart, and he shuddered as he was reminded that these people too knew what tragedy was. He shook his head sadly. "No," he whispered. "No, I'm afraid I can't."

The woman stared up into his face for a long moment. Then her hands dropped away and her expression once again turned emotionless. "Then you can do nothing," she said tiredly as she turned away and walked off toward her door.

Naruto felt like he'd been slapped. "Ma'am?" he called quickly after her. She paused but did not turn. His features hardened. "I'm sorry for your loss, _believe me_ I am. I'm sorry my father couldn't kill the Fox. I don't know why he couldn't, why he had to seal it. But I do know that if he hadn't, more lives would have been lost, and that's enough for me. I don't know why he had to choose _me_, why _I_ had to be the vessel, but I'm glad he did; I can't say that I've led a charmed life because of it, but I'd never wish my fate on anyone else." He drew himself up proudly. "I can't change the past, but I _can_ choose the path I take into the future. I can't bring back the dead or undo past tragedy, but I _can_ and I _will_ use _my_ life to protect you and the entire Village, _now_. That is my solemn word, my _nendo_, my Ninja Way."

The old woman waited until she was sure he was done speaking, and then disappeared into her house without a word. Naruto let out a deflated sigh. Choji was mercifully silent. They turned to go…

"Wait! Wait a moment, please!" The elderly man, who had watched the entire thing from the corner of the building, limped forward hastily. Upon reaching them, he reached a hand up and touched Naruto's face, studying the blond boy with an awed expression. After a moment, he seemed to come back to himself; he withdrew his hand and his eyes watered and dropped away. "Forgive an old man's foolishness," he said hoarsely. "For a moment there, it was as if my son himself was standing there." He glanced back up at a surprised Naruto. "I see it now. I see it, and I don't know how I missed it for so long. You have the same eyes. You have the same heart that he had." He looked at the repaired section of wall, then back again. "My wife misses our boy greatly --he was very dear to her. I miss him too, but hearing your words, and seeing his reflection in you like this, I feel I remember him a bit better." A single tear streamed down his weathered face. "Please, if you would forgive the selfishness, could I ask you to visit a sad old man and his wife again?"

Naruto felt his own eyes moisten, and he nodded solemnly. The old man held his gaze for a long moment with a look of gratitude, and then turned and walked slowly away. Slowly, but a little straighter, with a little less limp.

Choji was mercifully silent.

* * *

Some time later, the two of them had returned to the Center and reported their job completed. Naruto was once again in high spirits.

"All right!" he yelled, pumping his fist to the twilit sky and wearing his famous grin. "That's it! Trial passed now, right? Time to go get some ramen!"

Choji caught his shoulder before he could run off. "Not quite yet," he said apologetically. He held up a small slip of paper. "It seems there was a last-minute posting."

Naruto was dismayed. "Whaaaat?" he whined. "What can there possibly be left to do _tonight_?" He gestured up at the setting sun and the surrounding Village. "All the shops are closing now and there won't be enough light to see anything!"

The hefty ninja examined the paper. "This job doesn't seem to require any of that."

Naruto heaved a sigh of defeat. "Okay, okay. Where is it?"

"The Hokage's Tower."

"What?!"

* * *

Naruto looked too drained to be stunned. "You've _got_ to be kidding me," he said blandly.

They had arrived at the Tower --or more specifically, its roof. Choji shook his head and read the request again. "'I need someone to sit on top of the flagpole at the Hokage's Office overnight.' That's all."

Naruto was silent for all of one moment more. Then he exploded. "Who needed _that?!_"

Choji raised his chin a little. "I did," he said bluntly.

His friend gaped for a second. "_…Why?!_"

The hefty ninja crossed his arms. "I told you this would be a true Test of Endurance. The Hokage have frequently had to work under very trying conditions. You haven't eaten for almost two days now, and you must be at least a bit drained from all the hard work today. It will be tricky work staying up there, awake and hungry. But if you can manage it, you will have proved beyond a doubt that you pass."

Naruto still looked unhappy about it, but nonetheless he nodded and began to climb the pole.

Choji smirked and called after him, "Remember, you're done tomorrow at dawn. I'll come get you then."

* * *

It was _miserable_. That was it; that was the only word Naruto could think of to describe his current situation: _miserable_.

For the fifth time in as many minutes, he began to nod off, nearly slipping off his perch. For the fifth time, he jerked back awake just before losing his balance, once again shifting his weight just enough for a new spot on his behind to get sore and for the old spot to begin to ache. But hey, at least that got his mind off his now-perpetually growling stomach _for one second_. During the day, he'd been so busy that he'd been able to put aside his hunger, for the most part, except when someone offered him something to eat. Now, however, when there was _nothing_ to do --except suffer-- it seemed that his stomach no longer felt any inclination to let itself be ignored. A chilling breeze blew past, and Naruto shivered and nodded to himself. And of _course_ nature would pick _tonight_ --the _one_ night he didn't have his coat-- to be a _cold_ night.

So, in short, there he sat, balancing his already sore backside on the hard, round, metal tip of the flagpole, fighting off fatigue, starvation, extreme _boredom_, **and** the elements _at the same time_. Yup, this was definitely his new definition for 'miserable conditions.'

He had no idea how long he'd been there, and he had even less of a clue how much longer it would be; all he knew was that dawn could not come soon enough. Yet again, he wondered why in the world Choji was putting him through this. What did sitting on a flagpole have to do with being Hokage? He knew the Old Lady would never… would never…

He began to nod off again, but this time his waking jerk occurred simultaneously with a blast of wind against his face, and the combination was enough to pitch him over backwards. He let out a yelp, but was just able to catch himself by using chakra to fasten the soles of his feet to the ball he'd been sitting on. The maneuver left him hanging upside down by his feet, but kept him from falling to the ground below, so he breathed a sigh in relief.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a large, dark shape in front of him and realized that he was looking at Hokage Mountain… and that gave him pause. He flipped back upright and turned himself around to face it properly. He could just make out in the darkness the features of the Five Hokage; even in the cold dark of night they stared out over the Village, as if keeping silent vigil for the people asleep there. And he knew they were merely stone faces, but the thought made him think for a moment.

He turned round again and looked at the twinkling night lights of the streets and buildings of his home. What if the Village went to war while he was Hokage? What if attackers came in the night? He'd post guards, certainly, but would he be willing to stay up himself? _"As Hokage, you will go through stressful times, occasions when you will be pressed beyond the norm. There may come times when you have to go a _week_ without sleep, _two_ without a decent meal. I even heard the Third once went an entire month without either."_ Could Naruto do that? Would he be willing to push himself that hard if the need came? The answer, in Naruto's mind, was a resounding _**yes**_, without hesitation. Why? Why would he put himself through such an ordeal? The twinkling lights before him told him the answer.

_It's not about **me**_... He laughed to himself quietly as his gaze wandered from Sakura's house to the ANBU barracks to the Ishino farm, across the many apartments and homes and clan houses, and finally to the Hyuuga compound. _…it's about all of __**them!**_

He made silent note to thank Choji for this reminder. Setting himself, Naruto said softly to no one in particular, "Sleep soundly, Leaf Village. Let me be your watcher tonight."

* * *

When Choji arrived in the morning, he was surprised; Naruto sat perfectly still and wide awake on the pole, silently watching the sunrise with a content look of peace on his face.

Oh, he'd known his friend would make it, all right, but even he was surprised how easily the other boy seemed to taking it. It just made him all the more certain the guy was right for the job.

"Hey, Naruto!" he called.

The blond ninja glanced back down at him and smiled easily. "'Morning, Choji!"

"You're done. You pass. Come on down, and we'll get some breakfast --my treat!"

Naruto leaped down and landed neatly. Straightening, he grinned at his hefty friend. "You're on." He took one step--

--and fell flat on his face, snoring before he hit the ground. Choji just chuckled, heaved Naruto up, slung his arms over his shoulders, and took his buddy to get some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

Hours later, a better-rested Naruto was just getting ready to take Choji up on his offer to do lunch instead when there was a soft knock at his door. He wasn't surprised to see who had come to visit him.

"Hey, Hinata!" he greeted the raven-haired girl cheerfully.

"H-hi, N-naruto," she greeted back with a shy smile. "A-are you f-feeling better?"

Naruto laughed. "Sure am! As soon as I get some food in me I'll be good as new!" he said with a grin, flexing one arm. Then he looked at her hopefully. "Hey, you wanna come?"

She brightened and nodded once eagerly. Then she seemed to remember something. "O-oh, u-um, h-here, I-- I finished y-your coat." She handed him the garment she'd been holding at her side, neatly folded and laundered.

He accepted it eagerly and let it fall open. His eyebrows shot up in surprise; what had been the morning before a dingy, ragged, tattered mess was now clean new fabric --he couldn't even tell there had _been_ any holes or rips. He would have sworn it was an entirely different coat, except that it still bore his own scent --faint, but detectable. He gave it another admiring once-over, then looked back at its mender. "It's just like new! Thanks, Hinata!" he exclaimed gratefully.

She glanced down and bit her lip for a moment before continuing. "A-actually, there's s-something more." She glanced up at him meekly. "U-um, p-please, t-try running s-some chakra through it."

Curious, he stared back at the coat for a moment before obeying, sending some chakra to slide down its length. For a long stretch, nothing happened. When it got to the bottom, however…

"Whoa…" he breathed. The flames rendered on the coat came alive, swirling and dancing in a blaze of color that was mystifying.

"I-I w-wove some chakra-s-sensitive threads that p-produce genjutsu through the f-fabric. I… I hope y-you don't m-mind…"

"Are you kidding?!" He turned another look of admiration on her. "It's amazing! _You're_ amazing, Hinata!" She blushed deeply and fidgeted awkwardly, but her smile made it clear she was pleased.

That was when Naruto noticed something else, something hanging around her neck. He frowned and tilted his head to one side. "Hey, Hinata, what's that?"

She saw where he was looking and blushed even deeper. Rather than say anything, she hesitantly held the pendant --for that's what it was-- up for his inspection. He leaned forward to peer at it. The main piece was a crimson-painted metal duplication of the spiral symbol Naruto always wore. Around it was placed a still, golden flame, and mounted in its center was a small azure gemstone with a shining swirl of color in its heart --a clear imitation of the Rasengan.

For a long moment, Naruto stared at it with an awed expression. Then he glanced up at its maker. "So, what's it for?" he asked with a smirk, his heart pounding.

Hinata set it back to rest against her chest and he straightened. She stared down at her feet for a long moment, and then, mustering her courage, looked him in the eye and said, "'To remind me of a person precious to me'." She stepped closer and hesitated for an instant, but before she could change her mind gave him a hasty kiss --on the cheek, of course.

She was bright red when she pulled back, and she noticed he was not far behind. Without another word, she coyly spun on her foot and strolled away, heart fluttering as if she were soaring through the clouds.

Back in his doorway, Naruto was breathless for all of a moment or two. Then he shook himself out of his daze, laughed, and followed her, whipping his coat on as he went.

* * *

(End)

* * *

And there you go. Hopefully not too boring for a non-combat chapter, eh? Leave me reviews to tell me what you thought.

Now, for the extra surprise. Remember the party that Shikamaru and Ino are planning? When Naruto approaches the half-way mark, (5 out of 11 done) I'm going to do an Intermission/side-break/Party chapter. The catch? I'm throwing it open to you readers! Leave me requests in reviews or PMs about _anything_ you'd like to see in the chapter, and I'm going to build the whole thing off of the ideas that I like. And I mean I'm open to _anything_, from flashbacks to checking in with your favorite characters to all manner of party shennanigans to even foreshadowing the sequel. You name it, I'll consider it.

A few things to note:  
- Don't ask for M-rated stuff. It won't happen.  
- I am not obligating myself to accept every idea I hear, but I will credit every source I use in the chapter. Also, I reserve the right to put my own twist on anything.  
- The stuff you suggest does _not_ have to center around Naruto himself. Want to see your favorite pairing hit it off? Let me know. Want to explore some interaction between two (or more) unrelated characters? Tell me so.  
- In particular, I'm looking for party activities, and a method for Naruto's vengeance against Kiba for his antics in chapters 2 and 4. (_"Rock Lee"_ and _"Kiba"_) Make it impressive, okay? Kiba's been _earning_ this.  
- If I get as many emails about this as I hope and suspect I will, I may not have the time to respond to them all. I know I said just last update that I always answer every email I get, but this may have to be the exception.  
- Along those lines, I will not tell you if I choose to use your idea until it is published. Yes, I'm that evil, and I know it.  
- In what is clearly _not at all_ a shameless plug to get more reviews, I **might** be more receptive to ideas from people who leave meaningful comments in more of my chapters... (Read: totally shameless. I apologize. Now go post more reviews!)

- Finally, keep in mind that this will all happen when Naruto passes his fifth Trial. That means there will be at least one chapter between now and party-time.

So there you have it; the quality of my party-chapter largely depends on the range and scope of the ideas I get from you readers. Don't forget to review this chapter!

(I'm not going to put an estimate of the next update because I have yet to successfully meet any of my self-imposed deadlines. Sad, but true. -.-' It'll happen when it happens.)


	6. Neji

Okay, so it was about late January when I noticed that I hadn't posted an update--or even started work on one-- since the New Year. It was about mid-February that I realized _that_ was because I didn't have the time. I've been scrabbling ever since to grab every moment I can find to work on this chapter, and I **finally** finished it today. I just hope the delay hasn't convinced too many people to give up on waiting...

Thank you sincerely to everyone who has stayed with me, read and reviewed my work.  
Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, -.-'  
and please enjoy.

(By the way, the update on the party-chapter coming next is at the very bottom of the page.)

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto! (Is tackled by half a dozen copyright ninjas) Okay, okay! It's a lie! I didn't mean it!**

* * *

"…so then the ninja says, 'Hey, look! Now _I'm_ a 'star' too!'"

Hinata convulsed in a fit of giggling --which was an unfortunate thing to do while sipping ramen broth. A moment later the front of her shirt was soaked, her chin was dripping, and she let out a surprised sputtering cough --evidently some of the broth had sprayed up her nose.

This display, of course, was enough to make Naruto burst out in uncontrollable laughter. When she finally recovered enough, Hinata turned to mock-glare at him, but almost before she could he lost his balance on his stool and fell over with a yelp. One of his flailing arms knocked his own ramen bowl off the counter, and it somehow landed on his head _just_ after _he_ landed on his _backside_. At the sight of broth dribbling down his face and the noodles draped over his nose, Hinata gave a squeak of a giggle but she quickly put her hands to her mouth and stifled it, conscious that he might be hurt.

Naruto looked surprised at his own predicament for a second or two. He put his hand to his hair and stared at the noodles and chunk of ham he drew back. Then he glanced up at Hinata --and burst into laughter again. Relieved, she joined him. The intensity grew until they were both clutching their sides and tearing up. A moment later when they'd wound down a little, Naruto tried to get up, but he slipped midway. When he plopped back down on the ground, his bowl slid off his head and landed in his lap, which set them off again. The cook and his daughter behind the counter seemed to share their amusement.

After the two of them had bid farewell to Choji at lunch yesterday, they had wandered the town together. They both expected Naruto to be called away on another Trial, but surprisingly they ran into very few people they knew. Lee found them once and started to spout what sounded like a challenge to a rematch, but before he could say much Ino appeared out of nowhere, tackled him to the ground, apologized to Naruto and Hinata profusely with a shaky smile and some vague excuse, and hauled Lee away, ignoring his protests. The next time the pair saw Lee, he hurried away from them the moment he spotted them.

Hinata had been worried that everyone was avoiding them, but at Naruto's insistence they hadn't questioned it. And, once she forced herself to forget about it, Hinata had started to enjoy herself. They spent a pleasant afternoon visiting each other's favorite spots in the Village, and eventually found themselves on a relaxing stroll through the park. Many of the flowers were in bloom, and even Naruto remained quiet to appreciate the beauty of it. (Well, quieter than usual)

The serenity of the scene, walking amongst the radiant blossoms bathed in the golden light of the late afternoon, had a powerful effect on the young couple. As they sat on a simple bench watching the sun set in silence, Hinata inched toward Naruto, painfully aware of her desire but unable to force herself to take the risk. She couldn't have been happier, then, when he threw an arm around her, pulled her closer yet, and offered her his shoulder with a smile as warm as the glow before them. It was an offer she was only too eager to accept.

This morning they'd met at the Ichiraku Ramen Stand and were surprised not to find Shikamaru waiting there for Naruto. When it eventually became clear that the lazy ninja was not coming, they'd decided to eat without him and plan for the day that was once again apparently theirs.

The prospect had put them in high spirits and good cheer; they were still fighting chuckles about the ramen fiasco as Naruto finally got himself shakily back into his seat and Hinata began to dab a napkin at her chin and shirt. They were careful not to look at each other because they both knew they'd lose it again if they did.

Even so, a moment later as Naruto began to clean himself as well, he grinned and couldn't resist saying, "Well, I think that was even funnier than the joke, eh Hinata?" She didn't respond. He glanced over and began to repeat himself. "I said, I think that whole thing was… even funnier…" His voice trailed off as he saw that she was staring at something behind them. He turned to look and gave an involuntary start.

About ten feet away stood Neji Hyuuga.

He faced them, rock-still and silent. He had arrived without a sound; Naruto had no idea how long he'd been there. His expression was not angry or aggressive or anything else of the sort. He wore his mission face --totally calm, impassive and collected. But the thing that startled him was the other boy's eyes; Neji's Byakugan was active, and he was studying Naruto with the intensity he only devoted to a potential opponent. His gaze was objective, calculating, and thorough, as if already weighing tactics and advantages.

Neji was not in his combat stance, but he was clearly ready for a fight.

The Hyuuga boy did not so much as twitch until Naruto's face settled into the same lines. Then he gave one short jerk of his head, turned the same direction and walked away. Naruto turned his new expression of focused clarity and calm toward Hinata to see her already looking back at him. She searched his face worriedly for a moment and he gave her a reassuring smile. After a moment, she mirrored it weakly and nodded.

Naruto stood, checked his bracers, combat jacket and forehead protector, and followed Neji without a word.

* * *

Neji led him on a long, silent trek through the Village. Unlike with Choji, however, Naruto followed without question or complaint because he knew --or at least he was pretty sure he knew-- what awaited him at the end. Truth be told, he was getting excited about it --he and Neji hadn't had a good chance to square off since their first Chunin Exam all those years ago. He knew the Hyuuga boy was not an opponent to take lightly, so he spent the trip psyching himself up, focusing and preparing for a tough match.

They passed the Hokage's Tower and took the winding path up the mountainside behind it. Naruto glanced out over the Village for a moment at the top before Neji led him down through the crags on the far side. He was surprised at the maze-like path they followed through the cracks and crevices in the stone --it had never occurred to him to wonder about the _backside_ of the monumental mount. Soon they emerged in a small, open area bordered half by rocky formation and half by the beginning of a small grove of healthy trees. The terrain was worn smooth, if slightly uneven. The place was isolated, well-hidden, and in obvious use --a secret training ground.

Neji crossed the short distance to stand directly in the center of the area, where he turned to face Naruto. "The rules are simple," he began without preamble. "You pass when you can place one blow on my headband." He gestured at the piece, sitting at its usual place on his forehead. Then he pointed elsewhere. "If you cannot do that by the time the sun sinks below that ridge, you fail. Do you understand?" Naruto glanced and nodded; it was mid-morning now, and he judged the sun would clear the indicated rock at about three or four in the afternoon. _Plenty of time…_

The Hyuuga sank into his battle stance, one open palm out, the other behind. When Naruto likewise assumed his guard, Neji shouted, "Then let us begin!"

Naruto charged. He knew a head-on assault wouldn't succeed, but he also knew he had to press the offensive; if he let Neji take the initiative he'd have a hard time getting it back. He'd just have to think of a plan as he went --like always.

At first, things seemed to be going well. Naruto wasn't having any luck connecting --wasn't coming anywhere _near_ the other boy's headband-- but Neji was kept on the defensive, constantly blocking and dodging attacks. As his assault continued, however, Naruto began to frown; something wasn't right… His distraction made him hesitate, and that made see what was bothering him; even though his pace slowed, he still was having no problem keeping Neji on the ropes.

_What's going on?_ The blond ninja threw a punch Neji ducked followed by a kick he danced back from. It was tempting to write it off as his own skill at leaving no openings, but the fact was that his opponent wasn't even _trying_ to strike back. _He can't really be holding back, can he? No, he's just waiting for the right moment, that's gotta be it. Right?_

In his distraction Naruto threw a kick he knew was a mistake the moment it left. Sure enough, Neji easily turned it aside, shoving him off balance. Naruto hurried to recover his footing, twisting to try to pick off the attacks he knew would aim for his chakra points--

--but they never came. Rather than pursuing his advantage, Neji had calmly returned to his battle stance, waiting patiently for Naruto to regain control. Naruto straightened and his eyes narrowed --there was no denying it now. "What're you doing?" he demanded. "That was a perfect opportunity. Why aren't you fighting back?"

Neji smiled but did not budge. "Winning is _your_ goal. Mine is merely _not to lose_, and in _that_, time is on my side. Now, approach me again whenever you are ready."

Naruto rocked back on his heels. _So __**that's **__it…_ By choosing not to attack, Neji had eliminated the chance that a good counter could leave him open. More importantly, it also meant he could focus all his attention on his defenses, forcing Naruto to work his way past them if he wanted to win.

The problem with such a strategy, of course, was that it pitted him against _Naruto's_ stamina for _several hours_. The blond ninja bared a predatory grin. _Making me beat my way to victory, Neji? Happy to oblige!_ Twenty-some Shadow Clones shimmered into existence, all eager to begin the festivities…

* * *

"_HEEEEY TSUUUUUNADE!"_

Despite the fact that the voice blasted out of the previous silence right by her ear, Tsunade didn't react in the slightest beyond calmly setting down her pen, looking over her shoulder and saying, "Good morning, Jiraiya."

The white-haired Frog Sage squatting in her open window scowled back at her. "You're no fun," he complained. "You hardly ever jump anymore."

The Hokage smirked. "And you're still _such_ a kid, no matter how old you are. Sometimes I can't tell whether Naruto learned or taught maturity with you."

At that Jiraiya donned a grin much like his former student's. "Heck if I know. But hey, speaking of the kid, I haven't seen him around lately. I'll bet he's on some secret, crucial mission, right?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and let her head slump against the back of her chair. "Honestly, do you even _read_ the messages I send you?" she asked with a heavy sigh. "If you _did_ you'd know that he and the rest of the Twelve are off duty for the duration of the Trial by Leaves."

The Frog Sage laughed and stepped off the window into the office. "Oh yeah, that Nara kid's plan." An impish look entered his expression. "Is that _still_ going on?" he asked, his tone purposely sounding over-surprised. "I'd have thought Naruto would have smoked through 'em by now."

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at him. "Mm-hmm. Well, if you want to wish him luck, you've got your chance this afternoon while the Trials are on pause for the party."

Jiraiya perked up. "Party?"

Tsunade kicked herself mentally for the slipup. "Yes," she began reluctantly, "apparently Ino is planning to throw a celebration for Naruto's progress. Discounting Shikamaru's test, he's passed every challenge given him so far --as if anyone expected else wise."

The old man smiled. "Is that so? Is he going with anyone special?"

The strange glint that had appeared in his eyes made Tsunade suspicious. Nevertheless, she cautiously answered, "Ino hasn't told him yet, but Shikamaru indicates that Naruto's been spending a large part of the last month thinking about Hinata."

Jiraiya sprouted a wicked smile. "_Has_ he now? Good for her. Y'know, maybe I should stop by and see if I can't breathe a bit more _life_ into things…"

She stiffened. "You'll do nothing of the sort! Those kids are going to have a good enough time without you and your _sense of humor_ fouling everything up!"

The old man scowled. "Oh come on Tsunade, you _can't_ tell me it isn't fun messing with the younger generation."

Tsunade glared at him; just because he was _right_ didn't make it okay. "_Jiraiya…_"

The Frog Sage threw his hands up in smirking surrender. "All right, all right…"

But Tsunade could see those crooked wheels in his head turning. In an effort to derail them she pressed, "Now then, I know you didn't come back here just to say hello or wish Naruto luck. What have you got for me?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Right, business." His face settled into serious lines, his posture shifted in some imperceptible way, and suddenly he was the hardened shinobi all the stories said he was. "I came to let you know I finally made it back to that warehouse."

The Hokage's eyes flickered in recognition. She spun her chair toward him and became completely attentive. "What did you find?"

"Not much. The scene was three years old and I wasn't able to stay there long, but we knew that'd be the case." He closed his eyes and thought. "Still, there was enough residual evidence that I'd say it's a pretty safe bet the older one is dead."

"And the younger?"

Jiraiya grimaced and shook his head. "I have no idea."

Tsunade leaned forward, placed her elbows on her knees and folded her hands together, and let her eyes lose focus. Jiraiya left her to her thoughts for a long moment before asking, "Think we should tell him?"

She brought herself back to the present and slowly shook her head. "No. He's got other responsibilities now --we can't afford the massive manhunt he'd start. We've also got no real evidence either way, and since we haven't heard _anything_ about it in _three years_, we have to go with our first assumption." She straightened and shook her head again, firmly this time. "No, it wasn't that long ago that he finally got over it the _first_ time. I'm not going to put him through that again, not for what's almost certainly a false hope."

His eyes drifted off and he nodded. "Probably the best idea."

She gave him a close look. "Is there something more?"

Jiraiya glanced back at her. "Yeah. Something's up in the Hidden Stone Village. I don't have any leads at the moment, so I thought I'd hang around here a day or two and then head over to the Land of Earth to see what I can sniff out."

Tsunade pursed her lips. "The Stone Village, huh? They're not particularly friendly toward us at the moment--"

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Who _is_, besides the Sand?"

"--so even though you're not formally a Leaf shinobi, be careful, all right?"

The mischief returned to his eyes and his mouth sprouted a cocky smirk, effectively demolishing his serious demeanor. "Why Tsunade, I'm _touched_ by your concern--"

"I _mean_ it, Jiraiya," she said, cutting him off with a stern look. Then her eyes softened. "After family, the bonds we share with our teammates are some of the most precious. You may be an immature, irresponsible old rogue, but you're all that's left of that group."

He was silent for a moment before his smirk grew into an obnoxious grin. "Hey, it's _me_, right? What have you got to worry about?" He crossed back to the window and hopped up onto the sill.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. _Yeah, it's _you_. Speaking of which…_ "And Jiraiya? _**Stay away**_ from that party, you hear me?"

He flashed an innocent look over his shoulder, but just repeated, "Hey, it's _me_, right?" Then he was gone.

Her eyes narrowed. "Right," she muttered in agreement. Then she turned toward her office door and raised her voice. "Shizune! I have a special mission for you…"

* * *

Neji leapt over one shadow clone and twisted away from another midair, but when a third tried to exploit the opening, it caught the Hyuuga boy's foot to its chin and exploded.

Naruto grimaced. _Too many._ He pulled two more clones back from the fight even as he himself leapt into the fray. It had quickly become apparent that Neji would not attack _unless_ he was clearly overwhelmed; at the point when he couldn't block or dodge successfully he would quickly reduce the odds until he _could_ again.

Neji seemed to think he could handle about eight Narutos at once, though that number shrank as they became more aggressive. Because of that, Naruto also finally understood the other boy's point about time: rushing would get them nowhere, so Naruto and his clones had to be patient, wearing Neji down slowly bit by bit. In other words, it had become a waiting game.

But even so, did Neji really believe he could win such a contest?

The Hyuuga skirted away from the crowd toward an empty space, but three duplicates blitzed around behind him and threw shuriken. Two more charged from the sides, and the original stalked forward from the front, ready to jump any direction. Another Naruto leapt into the air to catch him if he fled _that_ way. With nowhere to run, Neji began to spin. With a blaze of color and an enormous surge of energy, a massive dome of chakra whirled into existence: _**Rotation!**_ The three clones that had gotten too close evaporated into smoke and the shuriken ricocheted with such force that their senders barely dodged them.

The real Naruto, who had leapt back to avoid the blast, gave a grim smile. Barring an all-out beat down, the simplest way to wear out an opponent was to force him to use high-energy jutsu until his chakra reserves ran out. When Neji finished spinning, he was standing in a wide, almost _smoldering_ crater. The dozen or so matching, overlapping craters deforming the rest of the terrain testified to each time Naruto had forced him to resort to his perfect defense so far. The Hyuuga had developed a surprising level of stamina, but the tactic was beginning to work; Neji's breath came with a slight effort and his reaction time had slowed by a fraction when the trio of duplicates behind him charged. Naruto knew it wouldn't be long now until he had his opening. _If I can make him do about three more, that should do it_.

The other boy finally broke away from the three Narutos and danced away, slashing his hand through the clone that tried to grab him from behind. Before he could recover from that motion, one of the first three came sliding in to sweep his legs out from under him. Neji jumped, and found himself in the midst of a suddenly summoned crowd of shadow clones preparing to throw a multitude of attacks in concert. One roaring flash of blue later and they had disappeared again.

Neji stumbled a bit when he landed. His breathing could now be heard. _Two more…_

Two clones waded in, throwing punches and kicks in tandem. As Neji dodged them, a third duplicate they had expertly concealed came flying over their shoulders with a fast kick. When the Hyuuga blocked the foot with a forearm, the Naruto it belonged to smirked. The two clones the original had pulled back from the fight burst out of the ground and reached for Neji's headband. Neji quickly disengaged the block and spun, barely in time.

A moment later, he visibly panted and sweated in the middle of a new crater.

The real Naruto smiled again. _One more, if even that._ He created another group of shadow clones to help him in what he was sure would be his final push. Neji reached to take something from his pouch, but Naruto couldn't see whatever he drew out. It wasn't a shuriken or kunai, but what…

His eyebrows shot up, but before he could react Neji had popped the pellet into his mouth. The Hyuuga chewed quickly and swallowed, and almost immediately his breathing came under control, his footing and posture became sure again, and he resumed his battle stance with ease.

But of course Naruto wasn't willing to just pick up where they'd left off. "Hey!" he protested angrily. "Since when do you get to use soldier pills!"

"There is no rule against it," Neji noted calmly.

"Well, yeah, but…" He let out a disgusted huff as he realized he couldn't argue. "How many do you have, anyway?" he asked instead.

"About thirty."

The blond boy gaped. "WHAT!"

Neji straightened slowly and gave the other boy a hard look. "You do not seem to understand how thoroughly I have prepared for this match, Naruto. Since the moment the plan for the Trial by Leaves was presented to me, I have been training almost continuously for _this moment_. I limited myself to one small meal and four hours of sleep each day as I worked tirelessly to hone my endurance with my mind, body, and Byakugan. By the end, I judged that the overall quality of my performance had nearly doubled from the start," --Naruto's jaw dropped-- "but even _then_ I did not allow myself to grow complacent. I went to the Inuzuka clan at dawn yesterday to ensure I could match your stamina. I then spent most of the day learning about your current abilities from each of your recent opponents and the final eight hours schooling myself in that knowledge. Only when I was confident I had done everything I could to prepare did I come to challenge you."

Naruto was silent for a moment as he searched the other boy's face. Neji held his gaze with a face etched in stone. Satisfied, the blond ninja finally spoke, quietly. "You're not joking. You're really _that_ serious about this."

"We are deciding the next leader of the entire Village, the one who must bear the full weight of the Leaf's honor and well-being with unerring responsibility and unending devotion. If we choose incorrectly, if our judgment lacks in even the slightest scrutiny, we risk doom for us all in one manner or other. _That_ is the reason I hold nothing back." He nodded toward Naruto. "I believe you to be that _one_. You have the heart and the strength for it." He fluidly resumed his battle stance. "But to be a leader you must be _more_ than _strong_. You may be capable of defeating any opponent in the long run, but what will you do if lives hang in the balance and you must win a battle quickly? Power means nothing without the proper application. Show me how you will handle an opponent whose defense is as potent as your offense!"

Naruto brought his hands up, but did not move. Now that he knew the nature --and gravity-- of this match, he had to reassess the situation; there was no way he'd be able to force Neji through thirty soldier pills, so that option was definitely out. He knew the pills had some negative side effects, but he wasn't very familiar with the details --especially concerning the most recent products. Neji would certainly know better than him, so if _he _was ready to take whatever risks there were, Naruto couldn't count on them.

The Hyuuga had eyes with 360-degree vision that could see through any deception and a defensive jutsu that nothing could possibly penetrate --which he had just learned could be performed indefinitely. So what was he supposed to do? He frowned with unease. _Performance nearly doubled…_ He shook his head and glanced over his shoulder.

The sun was on its way down. Naruto grimaced. _I don't have time to sit here and psych myself out! I'll just throw everything I've got at him --something _has_ to work!_ He whirled back toward Neji and dashed forward, readying his next attack.

* * *

It was that black, terrible thing that hung in the air of the Hyuuga clan's halls and stalked its members --especially those of the branch family. For most of his early life, Neji had feared the thing. Even before he knew it by name, he could feel its perpetual influence in the atmosphere, as if it were clutching at the throats of everyone around him.

Clutching at _his_ throat. It was a monster whose breath seemed to suffocate him, but he could never seem to catch sight of it. Even with his Byakugan it always hovered just at the fringes of vision, within a terse word or a clenched jaw. Whatever the thing was, it had beaten his family, and they knew it and resented it. His father in particular knew the monster well, and hated it the most. He tried to resist it, tried to fight it, and it… _hurt_ him. It bent him double in excruciating suffering his son found terrifying.

And all too suddenly, it killed him. It was in that moment of painful clarity that Neji finally saw the thing face to face and learned its name: _**Fate**_. Like his father before him and the rest of his _branch_ family, _Fate_ was his master. _Fate_ dictated his every move, held his very life in its clutches. It could not be denied, for _Fate_ was inescapable and it laughed at futile attempts at independence.

He tried to fight it, of course. In memory of his father and out of his own bitterness and anger Neji tried to resist its control. But he never shook its domination, and he scoffed in disgust at those who fantasized it could be done. Fate controlled everyone, and it was especially cruel to him --with his abilities he was one of its most useful tools, after all. Neji would never be free of it, and in his heart he despaired.

Then one day a blond, loudmouthed _failure_ of a shinobi came with a grin that refused to be daunted, spat in the face of Fate, and wrestled it to the ground. The boy emerged battered and bruised but victorious, and Neji was shocked. That boy --Naruto Uzumaki-- had not only beaten Fate, he had conquered it in its fullest, overcome everything it could throw at him. In one day he destroyed the terrible reality Neji had come to accept over so many years. Later that day, he had heard the real truth about his father; Hizashi Hyuuga had _chosen_ to die for his brother, because for the first time it was _his choice_. He had indeed forfeited his life, but in doing so he too had escaped Fate's control.

"_You can do it too, because unlike me, you're not a failure."_ That's what Naruto had told Neji that day. It was a testament to Naruto's confidence in him, and it had put the idea in his head; Fate could be defeated. The stark future it had planned for him was not absolute --all he had to do was forge his own path with his own hands. Naruto not only believed Neji could do it, he _expected_ it. And just like that, years of living in the monster's shadow ended.

Neji never used the word 'failure' again. He never allowed himself to see Naruto, or Lee, or even enemies that way again, because to do so would be to acknowledge Fate once more. Nothing was absolute. Nothing even seemed impossible any more. Naruto had graduated from the Academy with the lowest score of his entire class. At the time of his induction as a genin, he had easily been one of the weakest shinobi the Leaf Village had seen in generations. On top of everything, he was the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, anathema to its citizens --ninja and civilians alike. There was no way Fate would allow Naruto to become Hokage.

Neji wondered how long it would take him to get used to calling the other boy The Sixth.

* * *

An explosion roared through the air. A tall tree, splintered at its base, toppled to the ground. Its branches tore new furrows in earth already marred and deformed by countless overlapping craters and crisscrossing fissures. Its leaves fell to rest among shattered bits of stone and metal in muddy, stagnant pools. The wind stirred the blaze consuming its bark along with a half-dozen other guttering flames burrowing into the scorched soil. The smoke billowing forth swirled and danced in the breeze, giving the entire scene a surreal feeling that was completed by the abrupt and total silence of the forest.

In the middle of it all stood Neji, untouched, unperturbed, and entirely serious. Across from him, Naruto was perched on a broken pile of rock in a rare moment of inactivity. Four of his shadow clones waited atop likewise precarious footing in a circle around the Hyuuga. The original grimaced. Things had been going badly; it looked like he'd have to resort to his secret weapon after all.

In truth, he didn't know why he was worried about it --it had worked perfectly the other day. He glanced at each of his clones. They saw his look and leapt into action. Two attacked at once, being careful not to push too aggressively, while the other two stayed just back, rotating into combat as needed. Displaying years of practice and experience fighting as one, Naruto's doppelgangers herded Neji toward one certain spot. When the other boy was forced to hop back over a bad patch of terrain, the new trio of clones behind the original quickly wove their way through a string of hand signs. In a small flash of light, they vanished, and in the same instant reappeared behind Neji.

Half an instant later, the first took a chakra strike to the chest. The second was destroyed by a slashing heel, and Neji tripped the third and tossed it over his shoulder into the first group. As the two clones that survived stumbled backward, Neji whirled, crouched, and stabbed a finger among the rocks. Focusing some chakra like a knife, he split the Flying Thunder Seal tag Naruto had surreptitiously hidden there in two neat pieces. He stood and looked past the two surprised duplicates at the other boy. "Did you not understand me? There is no trick, no technique that you have ever demonstrated that I do not know about. Not even this," he said, holding up half of the severed paper. The two shadow clones gave a noise of disgust each and moved to engage him, but the real Naruto remained strangely still and silent.

Nothing had worked. He'd done everything he could think of --gone through his whole 'bag of tricks'-- but _nothing_ succeeded. Force; technique; speed; stealth; _everything_ had failed. When had Neji gotten so strong? _Performance had nearly doubled from the start…_ Granted, without the soldier pills the Hyuuga would have folded long ago, but there _were_ shinobi out there who did have this much stamina. _What will you do if lives hang in the balance and you must win a battle quickly?_ What **would** he do? Before this his battle plan had largely depended on his ability to beat his way to victory, outlasting opponents or improvising on the spur of the moment. What if that weren't enough? _To be a leader you must be _more _than _strong. More than strong --could he be that? He _had_ to be. _If we choose incorrectly, we risk doom for us all._ Naruto shook his head. He could _not_ fail. _Nothing worked._ Neji couldn't be that strong. _Performance nearly doubled…_ He frowned. What if he couldn't? What if there were opponents he couldn't beat? _Doom for us all._ The shadows were growing longer; the sun was almost down; time was running out. What was there left to try? _More than strong._ Naruto's breathing became heavy. What could he… What if…

"You are not giving up, are you Naruto?" He snapped out of his downward-spinning musings and glanced up. One of Neji's eyebrows was raised in frank evaluation as he took another step forward, a pair of smoke puffs dissipating behind him. He waited there and said nothing more.

Naruto gave a lackluster huff. "Yeah, right. You wish," he said with not quite as much bravado as he intended.

Neji's pale eyes narrowed, and he studied the other boy for a moment. "Shall I tell you something, Naruto?" he said at last. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "My entire life, I have been striving without cease to improve my fighting style. At those Chunin Exams where you and I first clashed, I was already considered a prodigy, and I have come a comparable distance since. By the reckoning of my lord uncle Hiashi Hyuuga and several other veteran Leaf shinobi, my form is now flawless. My defenses are perfect. Anyone attempting to bypass them should be _destined_ to fail."

Naruto gave a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah. Noticed that," he said dryly.

The Hyuuga boy nodded once, emphatically. "_You_ showed me once that _destiny_ can be _defied_," he said, taking measured steps backward. He resumed his battle stance. "**Show me again!**"

For a long moment, Naruto stood in rock-still stunned silence. Then, slowly, a smile crept onto his face. As it grew, he had to resist first relieved chuckles and then outright laughing. It finally solidified into his famous grin and the fire returned to his eyes as he shuffled his feet apart, preparing for action. _Thanks_. He thought the word silently because it was not the time to say it out loud.

He remembered now. The single thing that made him strongest was not his stamina but his _will_, his unconquerable spirit. He did things others said were impossible because he refused to believe they were right. He beat opponents who could not be beaten because he _believed_ they _could_ be. No one was undefeatable. No jutsu was unstoppable. While he acknowledged that this applied to him and his as well, he knew that as long as his _will_ remained, he could not fail. It was almost embarrassing, then, that _Neji_ --of all people-- had to remind him.

Smoke flared out from Naruto, encircling Neji and leaving shadow clones in its wake. When the army of duplicates charged all at once, Neji obliged them with another demonstration of Rotation. This time, however, the real Naruto --who had not moved-- studied every angle of the jutsu. Below… Neji in the center… the sides… above…

His eyes widened. That was it! As the surviving clones got back up to challenge the Hyuuga again, Naruto reached into his pouch. He hesitated… as far as he knew, neither of these jutsus had ever been used this way before. The timing, placement, and chakra work would have to be precise, so he couldn't trust it to a clone. He glanced over his shoulder; the sun was touching the ridge. No, it would work. After all, there was something to be said for 'improvising on the spur of the moment.'

At an imperceptible signal, some of the duplicates began leaping over Neji. Trailing them were near-invisible wires anchored to their partner-clones. This trick wouldn't work, of course --it had been tried already. Now, as then, Neji spun into yet another Rotation before the wires could settle. Every clone tied to them was caught up and flung away. The rest of the Narutos threw shuriken and kunai into the dome in an effort to prolong the technique, heedless of the danger as their projectiles ricocheted back into their ranks.

The real Naruto threw a kunai as well, with two key differences: first, he aimed high, over the entire dome of the Rotation.

Second, his kunai was dragging a special tag.

As soon as it left his hand, he began weaving through a by-now familiar pattern of hand signs. The instant the kunai eclipsed the sun, Naruto appeared in a flash of light, chakra already gathering in his palm as he fell toward the dead center of the Rotation. Just before he slammed into the potent dome of chakra, he threw his hand forward, shouting the name of his favorite jutsu:

"_**Rasengan!"**_

But this was not the same technique in the normal sense; rather than spiraling chaotically, the chakra in _this_ orb spun in a pattern. The moment it hit, Naruto had to adjust the pattern subtly, but when he did, when his chakra and that of the dome's focal point turned in synchrony, the Rasengan began to slide _through_ the barrier.

Then, when half of the orb had slid through and before he could lose control of it, Naruto began the counter-flow.

Sparks flew out from the point of contact. The light was blinding. Naruto's eyes squinted and he gritted his teeth, pumping more chakra into his efforts. The sparks intensified. _More! __**More! **__**MORE!**_ The sparks became waves of energy rippling out of control. The fire rendered on Naruto's coat --already rippling violently in the wind-- danced into life as the genjutsu threads in the fabric absorbed some wayward chakra seeping out from him. The dome began to slow…

Naruto gave one final _push_. With a tremendous _BOOM!_ and a brilliant flash, Rotation flared out of existence. Neji, his momentum suddenly and forcibly ground to a halt, stumbled in surprise. His feet, expecting to continue their previous motion, tripped up, and his eyes snapped shut as he fell forward.

When he inexplicably did not hit the ground and his feet found purchase again, he opened his eyes.

He saw a blond boy in a long white coat seemingly crouched in a circle of radiant flames. Naruto smirked up at him. "'Power means nothing without the proper application, right?'" It was then that Neji realized he was being held up by a single finger pressed to the center of his headband. He glanced up at the sun; it was half-hidden by the rocks, but still visible.

The genius of the Hyuuga chuckled. "Correct," he agreed, glancing back down at his friend. "The Test of Cunning: passed."

Naruto's smirk grew into a grin. The fire returned to stillness as he stood and helped Neji get his balance. "Destiny zero, Naruto _two_," he said cheerfully.

* * *

"Y'know, when I saw you this morning, I almost thought for a moment you were just mad that I was spending time with Hinata," Naruto said idly, arms crossed behind his head. The two of them were walking back down the stairs leading down the cliff side into the Village.

Neji glanced over at him. "Why would you think that?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

The other boy hitched. "Uhh, well, I dunno…" He scratched the tip of his nose awkwardly. "I mean, she's your cousin and all, and she and I are, well, so I thought…"

Neji chuckled. "You make her happy, Naruto, and I believe she does the same for you. Why would I want to interfere with that? No, I am glad for the both of you." He turned forward again and looked up at the sky almost… wistfully? "In fact, your efforts in that regard --as well as what you did today-- have encouraged me to make a decision I have been considering for a while now…"

Naruto squinted and studied him closely; that was a strange look on Neji's face. "What decision?"

But Neji just shook his head and waved the question off. "In any case, you had best go find Hinata. I am certain that Ino will be with her to tell you the news." They'd reached the end of the path and stood at an intersection of streets in the Village proper. Neji turned in the direction of the Hyuuga compound and started off. "I must finish my preparations as well. Until tonight, Naruto." Then he was gone into the bustle of villagers.

That left Naruto standing in the middle of the crossroads, staring after the other boy in utter bafflement.

* * *

Neji closed his bedroom door and had barely crossed the distance to his bed before collapsing onto it, his muscles screaming for rest.

Only the first of the pills he'd taken during Naruto's Trial had been a soldier pill in the typical sense. While it may have been more effective in sustaining his stamina, overdosing on the real pills would have caused serious harm to his body. Instead, most of his supply had been a new type of 'supplement' pill, recommended by Lady Inuzuka. Rather than act as a stimulant, these capsules delivered a concentrated packet of nutrients that was quickly and easily broken down and absorbed by the body to provide an energy boost. The effect took more time and was significantly less potent, so naturally Neji had grown more and more fatigued as the battle wore on, but the time the supplements bought for him plus his own stoic acting (the Hyuuga way was nothing if not disciplined) had succeeded in fooling Naruto. He'd managed to force the other boy to display the analytical prowess all his teachers said he possessed, so the Trial was a success. Shikamaru would be pleased for the report.

For now, though, he needed to rest. The supplements helped keep the 'crash' of the soldier pill at bay, but they were not without their own minor side effects, and now it was all crashing down on him at once. Idly, he wondered if his body would be able to move again by the time he needed to pick TenTen up for tonight.

His vision was beginning to swim. He let his head loll to the side so he could look at the small box on his desk before letting sleep take him.

_Tonight… I will…_

* * *

"A PARTY?"

Ino quirked an eyebrow. "You don't have to sound so surprised, Naruto. You beat Neji's test, didn't you?" she asked pointedly. She plucked a bit more ramen from her bowl as she waited for his response. Naruto had indeed found Ino waiting with Hinata at the first place he'd thought to look: Ichiraku. They were not surprised to hear that he had passed his latest Trial --though Hinata had been visibly relieved-- but Naruto _certainly_ wasn't expecting the news the blond girl had to offer _him_.

Sitting on the next stool over in front of another bowl, he blinked. "Well, yeah, but…"

"Then you're halfway done!" she interrupted enthusiastically. "Isn't that cause for celebration?"

He grimaced; he always felt so _awkward_ at those things. He opened his mouth to protest, but Shikamaru, seated on the far side of Ino, cleared his throat. "_More importantly_," the lazy ninja began, giving Ino a cool glance before looking at Naruto, "I'd like to remind you that _all twelve_ of us are off duty while you're going through the Trials. That means that most of us are practically bored out of our minds each day while we wait for you," he explained tiredly. "At the same time, _unlike_ for you this is the first break from ninja work that most of us have had for a while. _I _couldn't care less, but some of us could use a good stress reliever." He gave a languid shrug. "Think of this as good a way to solve both problems."

Naruto was just about to argue the point when Hinata spoke up from the stool to his right. "Um, I-I… I think it s-sounds like i-it…" she began meekly, "…w-well, i-it c-could be f-fun…" She blushed. "U-um, th-that is, i-if you d-don't mind…" she finished quietly, eyes never leaving her own bowl.

He slumped and groaned inwardly. How could he refuse now? And, actually… the more he thought about it, the better it seemed. After all, it would just be his friends there, right? Perking up a bit, he nodded slowly. "…Yeah. Yeah, okay. Let's do it!"

Ino rolled her eyes. "As if you had any say in the matter," she said sarcastically. "Look, we wouldn't have even _told_ you about it beforehand, except that we need to know a thing or two. First of all, it's a couples-only dance. Who are you going with?" she asked with a sly smile and innuendo in her tone. "--And Sakura and I already have dates, so you can't pick us!"

Naruto looked offended. "What kind of a question is that? I'll go with Hinata, of course!" He didn't see the girl in question simultaneously blush and brighten behind him.

Ino smiled as if in triumph. "All right. The second thing is the dress code --formal. What's the fanciest outfit you've got, Naruto?"

He hitched. "Um… well… probably _this_," he said slowly, indicating his current, everyday attire.

Ino did not look impressed. "Mm-hmm. You're going to need something classier than _that_. _**Much**_ classier. Don't worry, I'm sure Hinata can help you pick something out --she _is_ your girlfriend, after all," she added playfully. Then she winked. "Just don't change in front of her, okay?"

In perfect unison, Naruto and Hinata glanced at each other, blushed crimson, and began sputtering incoherent protests.

Shikamaru, partially successful in hiding a smile, got lazily to his feet. "Well, now that that's all settled, we ought to head out --final preparations and all. Just come to this address at sunset, all right?" He dropped a piece of paper down on the counter. Then Ino took his arm and they walked away, leaving the still-babbling lovebirds behind.

* * *

Hinata laughed at the outrageous costume Naruto strutted out of the changing room wearing as a joke. He grinned at her reaction and struck a few silly poses, making her laugh even more. They exchanged a few comments before he went back in to try on the real next outfit.

The process had started out rather awkward --mostly because of Ino's departing comments-- but they had both quickly warmed up to the task, and by now were quite enjoying themselves. The pattern they'd settled into was a simple one; browse through all the available selections, pick out several they liked, and then he'd try them on one by one and they'd bat observations back and forth about each of them. They'd been to three different stores already and he'd tried on a couple dozen outfits, but they hadn't found one that they both liked that was comfortable and what they considered 'fancy' enough. Even so, they didn't mind. It was a fun time for both of them.

And, during the time that Naruto was changing, it gave Hinata time to think; about the two of them; about this strange feeling she'd had for two days now, ever since watching Naruto and Choji play with children in the park. It was a lingering…_restlessness_…that, well, she could only describe as _desire_, because it resembled that feeling, which she'd had for years as she waited and hoped for Naruto to notice her.

And he finally _had_, and life had been wonderful ever since. She should have been ecstatic, endlessly happy that her dream had come true --and she _was_-- but then, what was this, this _desire_, this persistent unease that had come to plague her? It had only grown stronger the more time she spent with him, and _that_, ironically, led her to the truth:

It couldn't last.

_She _is_ your girlfriend, after all._ That's what Ino had said, and Ino was right; against all odds, she, Hinata Hyuuga, was the girlfriend of Naruto Uzumaki. But then what? That type of relationship could not persist forever; either it ended, and the boy and the girl became 'just friends' again, or just the opposite, and they…

She blushed fiercely at just the thought of it. She was having the time of her life; being with Naruto this way had been everything she'd thought it would be and more, but did she even have the right to want for _more_? What she felt now --a taste of what _could_ be-- was unbelievable; the thought of losing it, of becoming 'just friends' again was unbearable. But could she honestly hope to become his…?

No, certainly not. She would never be good enough for him, not on _that_ level.

But then again… she never thought she'd have _this_ much, either. A year ago --even two months ago-- she would have thought it manifestly impossible that she would be waiting to offer her opinions on clothes Naruto would be wearing to take her --_her_, of all people!-- _to a formal dance_, and she never would have even _dreamed_ that he would really, in actual reality, be her boyfr… her boy…

She couldn't even think it without her head swimming at the idea. So maybe, just maybe… …Maybe whatever miracle had brought them this close would be kind to her, and reappear. _Maybe_ there was a slight chance that they --the two of them, Naruto and Hinata-- could be even _more_.

With that little hope in her heart, she was smiling again when she heard him coming back out.

When he came into sight, she gave a small gasp.

Now _that_, that one was a keeper.

* * *

(End)

* * *

So, was it worth the wait? Do you newcomers like what you see? Let me know what you think with that little 'submit review' button down there.

**Two things about reviews:**  
First) This will be the last combat chapter for a long while. Only one more Trial involves fighting, and it will come near the end. So, I need feedback: what did I do right in these chapters, and what could I do better? Many people thought "Rock Lee" dragged on a bit with too much detail. Did I cut it down to acceptable amounts in these later chapters, or did I over-minimize things?

Second) Trial by Leaves has acquired its first review pointing out a _flaw_. ArmorOfGeddon wrote for the previous chapter (Choji):  
"Aside from dealing with people who hate him for the Kyuubi, I'm surprised Chouji's challenge gave Naruto any trouble at all.  
Back when he was 12, in the Forest of Death, he fought for the remainder of that day and all night long, with no food, against the Genin team from Rain that used the genjutsu. He did that while maintaining three clones that were using Henge themselves, and while making sure they all avoided the slightest scratch from enemy attacks that came under the cover of genjutsu, his then biggest weakness. Compared to that, no food or rest for nearly two days and a night of mere D-rank chores and balancing on a pole should be a cakewalk for a 19 year old Naruto whose had seven years to improve his already freakish stamina."

This is NOT a flaming. (AOG actually told me in a later message the chapter was his --or her-- favorite so far)  
On the contrary, this is a review appreciated for an entirely different reason. Folks, there are two things I want to avoid like the plague if I can help it: out-of-character-ness and plot holes --especially plot holes. If you notice an incongruity like AOG did, please tell me. My first reaction will be to try to logic it out, as I did this time. If I messed up bad enough, though, I'll retcon it, or even rewrite it.  
But don't feel you have to stop telling me what I've done _right_, okay?

**PARTY UPDATE  
**Now then, about the party. I think I have everything I _need_ to write a good-sized chapter, so all that's left is to tell me what you _want_ to see. The suggestions I've gotten so far are:  
-Choji/OC fluff  
-Surprise visit from Gaara  
-Make Lee/Kiba/Sai drunk  
-Truth or Dare  
-Konohamaru Corp crashing in uninvited  
-Character-specific party duties (ie Sai in charge of decorations)  
-Neji/Ten pairing  
-Lee 'party challenges' (ie eating contest)  
-Several vengeance-on-Kiba ideas  
-More NaruHina  
And a couple more miscellaneous details. Again, I won't say which I have or haven't decided to use, or have decided to tweak. Also, just to make it clear, I _do_ have my own surprises planned... (sly smile)  
I do know what my method of Naruto's revenge on Kiba will be, and as you can see from this chapter the party will mainly be a dance, but aside from that I'm still open to ideas. (Except lemons or anything else rated M) You've got right up until my next update to drop me a line. Help me make this even better!  
As for _when_ that update will come... (frowns) Well, I'm on spring break right now, so I'll have a bit of time to work on it, but it will probably take longer. My guess is anywhere from one week to one month.

Until then, everyone!


	7. A Night Under the Stars

(pant pant wheeze) Hey (pant) everyone! I'm finally (pant wheeze) done with the party chapter! (whew!)

Now, I'm sorry I didn't make it by mid-May like I said I'd try, but cut me some slack! As some of you may have noticed by now, this chapter is **_enormous!_** It's almost 16000 words and nearly 39 complete pages in Word! x.x

I put a lot of effort (a couple months' worth) into this one, and I'm pretty sure everyone who submitted ideas to me will be pleased and yet still pleasantly surprised. Following what I saw as the majority opinion, there is a **lot** of fluff and sweetness here (seriously, you may all have cavities by the end) but also plenty of humor mixed in.

So, kick back and enjoy, everyone! Thanks for waiting so patiently; hopefully your patience has been amply rewarded. :)

(Now I need a nap... _slumps at the keyboard_)

**Disclaimer:** I'm afraid the Me who's usually in charge of giving the **Disclaimer** has not yet been released by the Copyright Ninjas for his slanderous claim last update. Furthermore, the Me who does all the writing is unconscious, so I suppose the duty falls to the Me that is... well... **me**. _So. _**I do not own the Naruto franchise. I _have _added my own characters. This chapter includes requests submitted to me by readers; credit is given at the bottom of the page.**

* * *

It was only mid-afternoon, but to the busy workers of the Leaf Village Help Center it felt like they'd been going at it for _days_.

Tanbe Tayashi was just easing down into her chair behind the counter when she heard the chime on the door ring. She groaned. _Not another one already…_ She'd just finished her eighth errand in a row, and her feet --not to mention the rest of her tired muscles-- were killing her.

She was relieved, then, when she saw it was not another needy villager but their ninja helper coming through their door.

"Choji," she breathed thankfully. He paused mid-step and glanced at her curiously. Suddenly conscious of her tone, she coughed lightly twice, trying not to let her embarrassment show. "S-so, how did it go?"

He grinned. "Piece of cake. I pulled the stump out and leveled the field. They shouldn't have any trouble building now."

She gave him a warm smile. "What would we do without you, Choji?"

"Answer help requests, I suspect," he joked. Then he seemed to remember something, and he reached into his pouch. "Speaking of which, I picked up another one out there that someone wanted me to post on the board."

Tanbe slumped and let her head droop forward. "Okay," she said with a weary sigh. "Let's hear it."

"'One beautiful young lady --preferably a tired, overworked volunteer helper-- to spend a relaxing evening at a formal dance with one honest shinobi.'"

Her eyes snapped open and she looked up with open-mouthed surprise. Was he really…? Choji was staring at her with a playful glint in his eyes, his expression asking the unstated question.

When she finally found her voice, she had to turn her face down again to hide her blush. "Well, I don't know," she began very matter-of-fact. She glanced over at her grinning coworker. "Kaya is probably better suited for it --she's prettier than me."

Her friend nodded cheerfully. "That may be true--"

"But I doubt it," Choji interrupted, smirking. Tanbe turned a bit pinker.

Kaya shot him a cool glance. "--but _you_ two are the overactive overachievers here," she continued. "Besides, this sounds serious. We'd better put our best workers on it, right?" She gave the other girl a pointed look and an exaggerated nod.

Tanbe focused intently on a small scratch in the countertop, a secret smile on her lips. "I might be needed here." Her tone made it an inquiry.

Her friend rolled her eyes and chuckled. "_Go._ We can handle one afternoon without you guys stealing all the work --right, everyone?" The other volunteers voiced their enthusiastic --some teasing-- agreement. Tanbe hugged Kaya gratefully and stood up.

Choji cleared his throat. "Now, to find a suitable ninja for you. He should probably be handsome, intelligent… maybe I should go see if Shikamaru is available."

Tanbe's eyes narrowed and she stepped around the counter. "Or maybe there's a 'suitable ninja' right here." She smirked and punched his shoulder lightly. "If I got to choose from every man in the Leaf Village, I'd take my humble helper any day." His smile grew and he scratched in his hair abashedly. She stepped a little closer. "If it's a _formal_ dance I'll need to go back to my house to change into something nicer."

Choji blushed, a little. "Well, since I'm your escort I'd better get started _escorting_ you."

* * *

Naruto glanced around and ran a hand through his hair, nervously double-checking his mental list. He'd dropped Hinata off at the Hyuuga compound so she could get ready, and then gone back to his place to do the same. Now here he stood, freshly washed, immaculate in his spotless new outfit… and nearly out of his wits with nervousness. What on earth was making him so _anxious_? Like not even a hair out of place was acceptable… He'd even felt compelled to clean his _apartment_ --the place looked nicer now than it had in months.

His eyes fell on his coat draped neatly over his desk chair and his thoughts flashed to Hinata again. He blinked. _I guess that answers _that_ question._ Naruto chuckled weakly at himself; he could face down hordes of bloodthirsty mercenaries and elite shinobi warriors without a twinge, but a _date_ --his first _real date_-- had him jumpy. Go figure.

He looked at the time, glanced out his window, and headed for the door. It probably wasn't quite time yet, but he figured his nervous energy would bleed out easier on the road than waiting in his room.

Before Naruto left, though, he noticed a letter in his drop-box. It had that 'official' look to it, but it didn't carry Granny Tsunade's seal. Curious, he tore it open. His eyes widened:

'_When your Trials are complete and you are Hokage we may speak as equals once again._  
…_Do not disappoint._

_Fifth Kazekage, Sand Village,  
-Gaara'_

Naruto just shook his head in wonder. He didn't know how the leader of their allied Village knew about the Trial by Leaves so soon --did the Old Lady send word or was their information network as good as ever? A grin sprouted on his face. He didn't know, but it felt good to hear that even Gaara had confidence in him --masked though it was under his usual gruff, unemotional demeanor.

Naruto was about to put the note back when he saw that a second letter had been included with the first. He frowned; it was addressed to a 'Pineapple Head.' He tore it open as well --and blanched:

'_Hey idiot, quit dragging your feet already! If you really care about this girl then hurry up and commit! Ask _the_ question! I know you're not the brightest ninja around (compared to _me_, anyway) but you _certainly_ ought to know when it's time to make the decision.__  
Superior Intellect of the Sand,  
-Temari'_

Fire rose to his cheeks and his mind whirled. _What is she talking about? Does she mean Hinata and me? I know we're-- but-- --I mean, I _do_ like her --a _lot_, maybe even… --b-but what does she mean th-_the_ question? Commit? B-but Hinata-- a-and me, I-I'm-- I mean-- we're-- but--_

_Gah! Get a hold of yourself!_ Naruto shook his head quickly to clear it. There _had_ to be some sort of mistake. How would Temari even know about them? She'd never written to him before, so why now? He looked at the letter again. Pineapple Head; he'd never been called _that_ before, but it sounded familiar. Where had he--

He slapped his forehead. Shikamaru! Of course! The lazy ninja and the Sand kunoichi had some weird, undefined relationship. The letter must have been meant for _him_, and given to Naruto with Gaara's by mistake. He gave a relieved chuckle; why had he thought it could possibly have been meant for himself?

Then he paused. And why had it bent him so out of shape? He glanced at the time again and grimaced. He slipped both letters into a pocket and headed out the door. He'd chalk it up to his own already-jumpy nerves for the moment.

* * *

TenTen knocked at the door and frowned. Neji hadn't come to pick her up so, as they had agreed beforehand, she'd come to check on him. She frowned because that meant he'd overdone it with Naruto in his Trial, knocking himself out flat and making _her_ worry about him.

"Good evening, Lady TenTen. What brings you to honor our home?"

She glanced down at Hanabi Hyuuga, standing with prim posture and perfect poise, and quirked an eyebrow. "Come on Hanabi, it's _me_. You don't have to be so stuffy and formal, you know."

The younger girl's pose relaxed and she smiled. "Naruto said the same thing. Father insists I stay in practice, though."

"Naruto's here?"

Hanabi's smile turned mischievous. "He stopped by a little while ago. It was pretty entertaining --he was almost as skittish picking up Hinata as _she_ was preparing for his arrival. He was _dumbstruck_ when he saw her, too. I don't think either of them had formed a complete sentence by the time they left." She stepped aside to let the older woman through.

TenTen laughed as she entered. "Naruto speechless --that _does_ sound funny."

She heard Hanabi close the door behind her. "So, I take it you're here for Neji, right?"

"Yup," she answered with a sigh. She turned back to her young friend. "He hasn't left yet, has he?"

The Hyuuga girl gave her a skeptical look. "You're kidding, right? As far as I can tell he hasn't even _woken up_ since he got home."

She winced. "That bad, huh? Naruto must really have taken it out of him. I told him those pills were a bad idea…"

"…But he wouldn't listen," Hanabi finished knowingly. She giggled. "Boys never do. Well, you know the way, right? I have to get back to practice."

TenTen nodded. "Sure thing. See you later, Hanabi. Good luck!"

"Thanks. With Father watching, I'll need it!" she called as she ran off.

TenTen smiled after her friend, then turned and headed off through the halls. Since she knew the path by heart, she took the time to admire the place in passing. She ran a hand over the fine wood paneling on one wall. Everything felt so noble, so _full of history_ here. She'd often wondered what it would be like to live in one of these big clan complexes, but she knew it would never happen unless… She blushed at the thought and hurried on to her destination.

When she arrived at Neji's door she knocked quietly. "Neji?" There was no answer, so she knocked a little harder. "Neji, are you in there?"

This time there was a loud thump followed by a muffled crash. "Neji!" Yanking his door open, she saw him slumped over his desk, his strewn bedding tangled around his foot and his lamp overturned. "Are you okay?" she exclaimed, hurrying over.

He shot shakily upright and turned toward her, pocketing something in a way it was shielded from her eyes. "Yes, I am fine," he replied calmly. "I merely rose too quickly."

She paused at his odd behavior. What did he have to hide from her? "Are you sure? You don't even look like you should be standing yet."

He shook his head. "No, I am actually quite rested. I am sorry to keep you waiting. If you will step out so I can change, we will be on our way."

She studied his face for any clues. Finally, hesitantly, she shrugged; if it was something she needed to know about, he would tell her. "All right, just don't take too long --we're already late."

He looked relieved. "Of course."

* * *

Jiraiya went through his list one more time, putting things in his bag as he checked them off in his head. When the last piece fit snugly in its place, a crooked smile twisted its way onto his face.

_Perfect._ His old kit was complete. Now he had everything he needed to give those kids one _heck_ of a time. The Frog Sage chuckled as he headed out of the apartment the Village kept for him and down the stairs. How long had it been since he'd crashed a party like the old days? He pushed open the building's front door--

--and nearly ran right into Shizune. Tsunade's personal assistant stood directly in his path, arms crossed and expression cold and stern.

Far from daunted, he just laughed. "Hey there, little lady!" She quirked an eyebrow. "What brings you over this way?"

"A few things have changed around the Village since your last visit," she began in a no-nonsense tone. "Lady Tsunade sent me to be your guide tonight so I can help you be where you need to be and ensure that you don't get _lost_."

Jiraiya's face twitched behind his grin. _So that's how you want to play, eh Tsunade?_ "Yeah? Well, thanks anyway, but I can manage just fine on my own."

"Oh no no _no_, the Lady _insists_," she said innocently, contrasting sharply with her icy glare. "We certainly wouldn't want you to _accidentally_ wander into any sort of _trouble_ --that would be very _unfortunate_. Now, where are you going, Master Jiraiya?"

"Shopping," he lied through his teeth.

Shizune glanced down at the pack at his side. Like a child caught at the cookie jar, he tried to hide it from her --too late. "But your bag is already full," she noted simply, ignoring his antics. Before Jiraiya could muster an excuse, Shizune snapped her fingers. "Oh, _I_ see. You must have found some old _junk_ you wish to sell to buy provisions for your journey. How very _thoughtful_ of you, Master Jiraiya. I know exactly the place. Shall we be going?" She gave him a look that dared him to defy her.

"Of course," he gritted through his now-pasted-on brittle smile. She pointed off down the street. He stiffly marched off that way, Shizune following closely and one-hundred percent attentive.

Okay, this was just a bit of a setback.

* * *

"Well, this sure _looks_ like the right place," Naruto said skeptically. He and Hinata stood in front of a large warehouse that, from outward appearances at least, didn't look as though it'd seen much use recently. A fancy silk curtain hung barely parted in the open door, however, and the wall around it had been lavishly decorated by a montage of breathtaking, exotic, lifelike animals.

Hinata leaned forward to peer at the slip of paper he held. "I-it d-does match the a-address Shikamaru gave us."

Naruto glanced down; she was right. "Still a weird place for a party…" he muttered, putting the note back away. Then he turned a bright --somewhat nervous-- smile on his companion and held out his arm. "Well anyway, shall we?"

Trying not to look too eager, she smiled back and took it. He held the curtain back for them and they stepped through --and gasped; they found themselves in the middle of a small town. Not a real one, of course, but a detailed imitation of a flamboyant shop district one might find in some far away city.

The two of them wandered dumbstruck into a maze of vivid, colorful storefronts and vacant stalls covered in boisterous decorations. The warehouse's lights weren't on; paper lanterns hung on strings simulated street lamps, and they saw that the ceiling --_just_ within reach of the light-- had been painted black with reflective white speckles: a perfect night sky. The lamps had been expertly placed to accent the most vibrant pictures and designs, and the smaller strings of multicolored lights strung between them successfully completed the very festive feeling.

It was like walking through a carnival frozen in time by some sort of magic.

Then they turned a corner and arrived at the town square. More lanterns and decorations encircled an enormous space of cobblestone-rendered pavement. Standing alone off to the left was an elaborate glass statue of a large bubbling fountain lit up to be dazzling; from its base a painted stream that seemed to babble and splash as one watched wound its way around the far side, passing under a stage built as if it were a bridge, before meandering alongside the pseudo-outdoor café --complete with a few exotic plants-- off to the right.

And _everywhere_ there were people. There must have been over a hundred, many chatting out in the square, others relaxing at the café's many tables.

"There you two are!" Naruto and Hinata snapped out of their shock to see Ino on Shikamaru's arm approaching from the crowd. She wore a slim, sleeveless, flower-printed yellow dress and a self-satisfied look.

Shikamaru had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his simple black tuxedo --the only thing abnormal about his outfit was a stylish grey scarf lazily but artfully draped as if an afterthought over his shoulders. "Glad you guys made it," he said casually.

Hinata gave a formal bow to their hosts. "And w-we are happy to be here," she said politely.

Ino nodded, grinned excitedly and gestured at their surroundings. "So, what do you guys think?" she asked expectantly.

Naruto finally found his voice. "It's amazing! How did you guys do all of this?"

The blond woman drew herself up in a very dignified manner. "We're _ninja_, remember? We can be highly resourceful when we need to be." She beamed proudly, and even Shikamaru had to smirk. "You'd be surprised what so many people can pull together so quickly. And, so you may have noticed, Sai paints very fast and _very_ well." Then her smile turned impish. "And speaking of overdoing it, I see _someone_ took my advice about fancier clothes a bit too seriously."

"No kidding." That was Kiba, clad in a rakish black leather suit with fur accoutrements, sauntering over with a superior look on his face. "But at least it's so overblown that we can be sure it's Naruto." He gave them a frank once-over and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, what a flashy getup --you two look like something out of a fairy tale!"

It was an apt description; Naruto wore snow white robes reminiscent of shogun dress, gathered at his waist with a crimson belt knotted loosely in front. His flared sleeves ended in golden-hued cuffs, and two bands of the same color climbed up his sides and curled over the outfit's peaked shoulders. He stood tall above the mountains artfully rendered in the fabric at his feet, and a regal sash emblazoned with a pattern of fire crossed from shoulder to hip, bisecting a stylized symbol of the sun on his chest.

Hinata was sheathed in a long, silver silk gown. Blue splashes of color adorned its hems; she appeared to glide along the ground on a glassy pool of water while lighter wispy clouds fluttered at the ends of her likewise-flared sleeves. Vivid purple ribbon wound around her waist, tied in a large bow behind her. Upward from this beltline rose a band of deep red that split at her neck to cross back over her shoulders, tendrils of color tracing outward in an elaborate pattern.

She shrank a bit from Kiba's comments. This was her favorite dress, but she'd never worn it in public because it _had_ always seemed a bit much. When Ino had mentioned this would be a formal dance, her thoughts had drifted to it. When they'd actually found an outfit for Naruto that not only matched it perfectly but also fit him so well, she'd been ecstatic. But she was wrong, she'd misjudged, and they'd come overdressed. Now they stuck out and they'd be a laughing stock and she knew how much Naruto hated to be considered childish and--

"Yeah, well so what? Maybe I _like_ fairy tales!" She gave a start and glanced at Naruto. He gave her a sly wink before looking right at Kiba. "You're just jealous because you all look like ragdolls next to us!" Hinata smiled and relaxed.

Kiba clutched his heart dramatically as if struck by a kunai. "A good shot; I am slain!" he said mockingly. "Farewell, my lord and lady." Chuckling, he swaggered back the way he came. Naruto's eyes narrowed. _Ooh, you're just _asking _for it, dog boy…_

He turned back to their other friends-- --and took an involuntary step back; Ino's body had gone rigid and twitching; her expression was one of unforgiving wrath; her eyes swore bloody vengeance and heinous murder. Hinata clutched his arm a bit tighter. _What did I __**do**__?_ thought Naruto in a panic.

Then realization struck and he blanched. _**Oh man.**__ I just insulted her fashion sense, didn't I?_

Fortunately, Shikamaru picked just then to intervene. He touched Ino's arm and she whirled her simmering fury on him. Unfazed, he jerked his head back toward the vacant bridge-stage. "You might want to check on the musicians, Ino. They aren't setting up, and it doesn't look like the vocalist is even here yet."

Rage turned to horror in an instant. "WHAT?! But the party starts in fifteen minutes!"

Shikamaru just shrugged. "Not without music, it's not." Ire forgotten, the blond girl turned and practically sprinted for the stage. He watched her go and sighed tiredly. "I will never understand how she manages in high-heels…" he muttered. Behind him, his two friends visibly relaxed.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Shikamaru," he said shakily. "I owe you one."

The lazy boy turned back to him and looked amused. "Yeah you do, _big_ time. You know you gotta watch what you say around her --she'll bite your head off." His tone suggested he was only half-joking. He gave the raven-haired girl a reassuring look. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. You both look fine." Then he shrugged. "The party's technically in your honor anyway, Naruto, although that kinda got lost in the shuffle. You might get a 'congratulations' or two, but nothing special. I can fix that with one announcement, if you want."

Naruto hesitated, aware that both Shikamaru and Hinata were waiting for his answer. _He knew I'd feel awkward at this sort of thing. This is a chance to avoid all the extra attention._ He smiled and shook his head. "No, that's okay. Let everyone party for their own reasons." His date brightened; that suggested --accurately-- that he cared more about spending time with her. His lazy friend just smirked, as if he'd been expecting that answer.

Naruto's smile turned mischievous. "You know, it sounds like you're sure working hard with all of this, Shikamaru. How can you stand putting so much _effort_ into something?" Hinata giggled.

The other boy took on a comical look of defeat. "Don't remind me," he sighed. "If I said it wasn't a drag I'd be lying, but…" He glanced over his shoulder; his own date was dashing like mad from person to person in the crowd. He smiled. "Anyway, just be sure to enjoy yourselves, alright?" He looked right at the blond boy. "And, Naruto? Every person here thinks of you as a _friend_. Remember that, okay?"

Naruto brightened in surprise, then relief. "…Thanks." He remembered something as the other boy started off. "Oh! Wait, Shikamaru! That reminds me, I've got a letter for you --it was delivered to my house by mistake." He took out Temari's letter. As Shikamaru accepted it, he said quickly, "I didn't know it wasn't mine until I read it. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Shikamaru said dismissively. As he read the letter, his eyes narrowed and his brow twitched once in annoyance. With a sour look, he calmly folded it up again and slipped it into a pocket. "Thanks. But now I've got to go find out what else is going wrong around here, so I'll see you both later, okay?" They nodded and he strolled off, hands in his pockets.

…which left Naruto and Hinata alone on the edge of a very large crowd. Knowing it was a crowd of friends --or at least friendly acquaintances-- didn't do much for their nerves. So they stood there surveying the scene, shifting uneasily and sending anxious glances toward each other. Twice Naruto moved as if to speak. Both times Hinata waited nervously to hear what he would say, acutely aware of both the awkwardness of their position and her own stage fright. Each time he hesitated and closed his mouth without a word, and they went back to shyly eying the other partygoers. After a moment or two more of uncomfortable silence, Naruto took a deep breath to try again. He looked at Hinata and hesitated once more. With a defeated sigh and a chagrined smirk, he motioned beyond her with his eyes and asked, "Feel like some refreshments?"

She perked up and nodded, grateful for the escape course he'd found. They turned and threaded their way toward the café, skirting the crowds and giving the other guests wide berth. They approached a bar-style counter that was almost empty; a brunette in a simple, modest pink dress sat sipping a beverage between two bouquets of flowers; chatting with her across the counter was a large boy they both recognized.

"Choji!"

He turned to them and grinned. "Hey guys! Glad you made it." He gestured to the girl he'd been talking to and asked, "You remember Tanbe, right Naruto?"

"Of course!" the blond replied cheerfully, throwing his arms behind his head. His flared sleeves made the motion awkward; he blinked and sputtered against the fabric slapping his face. "How's it going at the Help Center?"

A light laugh at his predicament settled into a wry smirk. "It's as busy as always. There just never seems to be an end to the work --the other day was the first time the board's been clear in _years_. Thanks again for your help, by the way. You made a lot of folks' days, including ours."

"No problem, no problem…" Naruto mumbled bashfully. Then he cleared his throat and turned to the girl waiting patiently next to him. "_Anyway._ Hinata, this is Tanbe." With a playful look he continued, "She got to boss us around the other day when I was working with Choji."

An indignant "Hey!" sounded from the girl in question. Hinata gave a giggle, then stepped forward and bowed her head. "I-I'm…my n-name is Hinata Hyuuga. N-nice to m-meet you."

Tanbe gave Naruto one last annoyed punch on the arm before giving Hinata her attention. As the girl talk began, Naruto turned to his friend with a smirk. "So Choji, are you the bartender tonight?"

Wearing a dressy red suit and green velvet vest and bowtie, the hefty boy certainly looked the part, but he shook his head. "Nah, Ino just asked me to give out drinks and keep an eye on the snacks until the party starts."

"Snacks? Whatcha got?"

Choji laughed. "Tarts, cakes, cookies, --all kinds of pastries. For drinks we've got water, lemonade, two or three kinds of punch. You know: party stuff. And don't worry, nothing's spiked. For one thing, Kurenai-sensei over there would have a fit, and my folks would never hear the end of it." He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "You see, my clan agreed to cater for tonight, so I can personally guarantee the quality."

Naruto's mouth watered. With a sparkle in his eye, he began, "Do you think maybe you could…"

Choji laughed again. "No, Naruto, you have to wait for the start like everyone else. Just a few minutes longer and you can have all you want. Then maybe we'll see you guys on the dance floor, ne?"

The blond's expression soured. "Yeah, maybe…"

The hefty boy gave him a quizzical look. "Naruto, you're not nervous, are you?"

"Yes--No! No, of course not!" At Choji's skeptical stare, Naruto grimaced and shook his head. "It's just-- --I've never …danced… in public, you know?"

Choji quirked an eyebrow. "Really? I seem to remember this one goofy little jig you did at our first Chunin Exams outside the Forest of--"

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" Naruto snapped irritably. He glanced over at the girls. "I just… I don't want to embarrass her," he said quietly. He jerked back again when he felt knuckles rapping on his head. "Ow! Ow! Ow! --Hey, cut it out! What are you doing?"

His hefty friend was searching his face with an inquisitive frown. "I'm looking for my _confident_ friend. His name is Naruto, and that guy never lets _anything_ intimidate him. Is he home?" When Naruto swatted his hand away peevishly, Choji sighed. "It wasn't your dancing that made her like you, you know." The blond hesitated, then nodded. "Then it's sure not going to make her _dis_like you." Choji shrugged. "I don't even know what you're worried about. I'm probably going to look like a fool out there, but I'm just set to enjoy it."

Naruto pondered this a moment. Just as he was about to respond, a noise drew their attention back toward Tanbe and Hinata. Both girls were bright pink and shaking with giggles, trying valiantly to hold back the laughter and not look at their respective dates. Said boys glanced back at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Think we ought to find out what they're talking about?"

"Definitely."

* * *

"Neji, are you sure you're okay?" Concern tinged TenTen's voice as she once again posed the same question.

He tried to look calm as he answered. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"You're shaking. _Visibly._"

Neji looked down and his expression caught: his hands were indeed trembling. _Even my own limbs sense my nervousness?_ He almost laughed at himself. "I must be more drained than I thought." They had just come out upon the 'village square'. He leaned against one of the nearby stalls, crossing his arms to calm them. "I will be fine if I rest a moment."

Before she could respond a voice cried out, "TenTen! It's a disaster --you've gotta help!!" Ino hurried up to them, looking as frantic as she sounded.

"Ino! What's wrong, what's happened?" TenTen said with alarm. She and Neji tensed, scanning for trouble.

"We don't have a singer!!"

They hitched. "Come again?" TenTen asked in disbelief.

"It's true! The musicians won't play without a vocalist and she got hung up on the way and won't be here on time and we can't start the party without music so you've got to help you've just got to!" The blond spoke all in a rush, oblivious to the other girl's expression.

TenTen heaved a tired sigh and muttered, "It's _Ino_. I should have known…" Neji donned a small smirk and leaned back again. The brunette looked back at her perplexed friend and asked, "Okay, so the vocalist is late. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Sing in her place," Ino said hopefully.

TenTen gaped. "You've gotta be--"

"--Just until she gets here. _Please_."

"What makes you think I even _can_ sing?"

Ino frowned. "Lee said you have a great voice. He said you've actually even performed with _this group_ before, so you already know the music, too."

Inwardly, Neji winced. TenTen's jaw clenched even as her cheeks reddened. "He swore he'd never breathe a word of that mission, the traitor…" she muttered darkly.

"_Here_ you are." They all turned to see Shikamaru ambling up to them. Upon seeing TenTen and Neji, he rocked back on his heels. Turning on the blond girl with exasperation, he asked, "Ino, you're not still bugging people with that, are you? Don't be so troublesome, it's not a big deal. People are not going to leave because we start a little late."

Ino looked mortified, then outraged. "Not a big deal? A little late?! How can you say that?! The classiest parties always start right on time, and I –we-- put too much work into this to let it go down the drains!" She whirled back to the other girl. "TenTen, you've _got_ to sing. _Please_. I've already asked everyone else I can think of, but no one wants to leave their dates!"

Neji perked up at this. Shikamaru glanced at him curiously.

TenTen didn't notice. "Well what makes you think I want to leave mine?" she demanded, shooting Neji a concerned glance.

Before Ino could speak, the Hyuuga spoke up. "Actually TenTen, I don't mind if you would help out. In fact, it would give me occasion to rest and recover as I wait." The other boy nodded slowly and gave a smirk in understanding.

TenTen, caught off guard, began to stutter, "B-but…"

Shikamaru cut her off. "Well, when you think about it it's not such a bad idea. You can't really do much for Neji if he's just tired, and this way he can be good to go when you're done and ready to dance."

At the brunette's silence, Neji pressed, "Go ahead, TenTen. I'd like to hear your singing again. I agree with Lee --you have a beautiful voice."

TenTen blushed, a pleased smile spreading on her lips. "…Alright," she said finally. Ino gave a cheer and pulled her friend into a fierce hug, then seized her hand and led off toward the stage at a stumbling pace.

Shikamaru turned as if to go, but lingered. "Nice move," he offered back at the Hyuuga with a sly smile. The boy smirked back, faintly. "You going to ask her tonight?" At this, Neji's expression hardened and he just stared.

"Shikamaru!" Ino's voice called irritably.

The lazy boy gave an amused snort and a shrug. "Right. Better leave you to your wrestling, then." And with that he strolled after the girls.

_Wrestling… I suppose that is a good word for it._ Expression sour, Neji found his way to an unoccupied table and sat down. In a way, he was glad for the chance to separate from TenTen, because it was not fatigue that was making his hands tremble.

_Can I… can I really do this?_ He may have resolved to follow through earlier that afternoon, but now that it came down to the moment he was having second thoughts. He looked down at the robes he wore: they were finer fabric than normal, but otherwise identically the traditional garb of the Hyuuga clan. _Tradition…_ What he was considering went entirely against his clan's tradition. As far as he knew, no one --not even branch members-- had ever dared it in recent memory. None but perhaps one or two of the clan elders would approve. They would call it a betrayal of the clan's history, and there was a chance they would turn their backs on him --his worth as a prodigy of their arts could only counteract so much.

A cheer went up from the crowd. He saw the girls on center stage, heard Ino making announcements, but the words did not register.

His father had not cared for the traditional Hyuuga way, so he would not have let it stop him. Yet Hizashi _had died for family_. Could he, Neji, pursue a choice that might lead him away from them?

The music began with a fast, spirited dance. The crowd of guests eagerly paired off. Neji heard TenTen, hesitant at first, begin to sing out, and he let her musical tones fill his mind and guide his thoughts. His heart was racing in time to the tempo of the song.

Or was it rather beating in time to her voice?

* * *

It had taken a while longer than expected to shake Shizune, and he'd lost his entire party-crashing kit before he managed to slip away, but Jiraiya merely shrugged it off. Setbacks happen, and he was never without a backup plan.

The old Frog Sage grinned in anticipation as he strolled up to the warehouse. Tsunade's watchdog should be occupied with his little distraction for a while yet, so he had plenty of time to have some fun at the youngsters' expense.

He paused to admire the ink menagerie surrounding the entrance. "Well well, pretty snazzy job there! I see they put that painting kid to good use!"

One of the beasts roared into life. Tearing itself free of the wall, it bared its fangs at him with menace. Jiraiya merely raised an eyebrow.

"They're more than simple decorations, Master Jiraiya." The Frog Sage sent a lazy glance upward. Sai stood a third of the way up the wall, staring at him impassively. "They also help me keep out unwanted troublemakers."

"Yeah? If I see any, I'll let them know. In the mean time…"

The painter ninja detached from the wall and landed between Jiraiya and the curtained door. "By the Hokage's direct order, it's my job to keep you out of this building, Master Jiraiya."

The old man smirked and put a hand to his heart mockingly. "Gee, that makes me feel _terrible_. See, you're gonna get fired."

He moved to step forward. The ink lion growled again. "You will not pass me, Master Jiraiya," Sai said evenly, reaching a hand to his weapon.

Jiraiya became completely still, his eyes flickering dangerously. "Do you boys really think you can keep me out here by _force_?" he challenged coolly.

"No," a new voice intoned calmly. The Aburame kid finally stepped out of the shadows into plain view. "But then again, we don't have to." He pointed off into the distance. "I've set up a chain of bugs to act as a hotline from here all the way to the Hokage's Tower. If you continue to attempt to interfere with this event, Lady Tsunade will know of it within seconds. She is much more qualified to detain and punish, wouldn't you agree?"

_That_ was finally enough to give Jiraiya pause. An image of Tsunade arriving as a fiery demon, eyes blazing with fury and knuckles cracking with menace, played through his mind. The images that followed sent a shiver down his spine and caused several beads of sweat to form. Clearing his throat, he said, "You bet! Well, I can see you kids are doing alright. Keep up the good work, and give those troublemakers, uh, trouble, okay? Okay, later!" Laughing awkwardly, he turned and strolled away.

He wasn't giving up, of course. Things had only gotten a bit more interesting. Setbacks happen, after all.

* * *

The atmosphere had become entrancing. The throng of smiling dancers pulsed and swirled in a kaleidoscope of vibrant color. In the dim lamp light, some could swear the stars twinkled overhead. Others who glimpsed the glass fountain mid-twirl saw it splash and spray, and everyone there knew they heard, beneath the rustle of sweet murmurs and the serenade of the traveling musicians, the soothing rush of running water.

A young mother's auburn eyes traced the scene softly, her heart longing for the man who would have been here with her even as her arms held tenderly the reminder of their time together. Her son, seated munching his cake on her lap, tugged on a curl of her dark hair absently. She smiled down at him and brushed some frosting from his cheek.

Not far away, a man with silver hair lounged on a bench against a wall. Most of his face was covered by a mask and his headband shoved down over one eye. The rest of it was buried in a small book held right up to his nose. Next to him on the bench a woman in shorts and a long coat rested her head on his shoulder, her violet strands of hair mingling with his. Eventually the little boy wandered over and prodded the man's leg. When the man did not respond, the boy tugged on his free hand--

--and his jaw dropped when the hand pulled free, straw sprinkling to the ground from the severed wrist. He looked up at them to see faces that bore only mismatched buttons for eyes staring back at him. His own eyes widening like saucers, he darted back to his mother and buried his face in her leg, pointing a small shaky finger back over his shoulder. Smiling at his antics, she glanced at the fakes before turning back to the dancers, quickly spying matching shocks of white and purple hair amid the crowd.

* * *

Neji had come to a decision.

He was watching TenTen, whose confidence had finally taken hold; she now enthusiastically pranced about the stage, pouring her heart into her songs. She wore a slinky light blue dress cut in a way to leave her entire left leg bare. A long, ornate dragon traced in gold snaked from its tail at her right foot up her leg, across her stomach and back, to its smiling face on her right shoulder. Her customary hair buns were still in place, but a few strands had been freed to drape over eyes that sparkled with _life_. She was strikingly beautiful, and he knew he was not the only one to think so; he'd already idly marked half a dozen targets for assassination should they ever look at her the way they had again.

It was watching her like this that made him realize a few things. He knew how he felt about her, and how she felt about him. If he did not take this risk, if he backed down from this choice, he would be returning his life to Fate's plan, and no matter what anyone else thought, he would hate himself. And his father? Hizashi _had_ died for family, but he had done so because he knew it was the right thing to do --whether the clan willed it or not-- and he had encouraged Neji to act with such freedom as well. _My father forged his own destiny with his death. I will do so with my __**life**__._ He nodded solemnly; the thought felt so **right**. _Believe it!_ a familiar voice called in his head, and he smirked at it.

Neji got up and headed for the stage.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata sat alone at the counter, sipping punch and watching the dance. Shikamaru had been right; a few people had wandered over to congratulate Naruto and wish him luck --and he had politely thanked them and wished them a pleasant evening-- but thankfully he and Hinata remained largely out of the spotlight.

They weren't exactly rushing to claim it, either. When the party had started, nearly all the other guests had hurried to the dance floor for the first song. It had been so crowded that the two of them agreed it would be prudent to sit it out. As they waited, they got sweets and drinks from Choji --a popular idea, as a great number of people came over immediately after the first dance. The floor had been fairly empty for the second song, but they decided to stay and help Choji set out the refreshments. And then for the third song, they reasoned that they really ought to finish the snacks they'd taken first.

But now their cups were nearly empty. Hinata nibbled at the last corner of a tart. The floor had thinned out a fair bit. Choji and Tanbe had left them. In short, they were running out of excuses.

Naruto had followed his hefty friend into the crowd with his eyes, and he'd been watching them ever since. Choji was a bit slow on his feet, and Tanbe was herself a bit hesitant, but they managed well enough. They were a relatively conservative dance couple, but overall they looked like they were enjoying themselves --thoroughly, in fact.

That fact and Choji's words bolstered his nerves. He shot up from his seat and turned a bright grin on a startled Hinata. "I think I'm ready to dance!" he proclaimed. "How about you?"

Hinata, who had been just as hesitant as Naruto, nevertheless seemed to drink in the confidence he practically beamed to her. She smiled right back, stood up straight and nodded, nervousness banished from her face.

"Great!" he crowed, seizing her hand. "Let's show these guys a thing or two, huh?" And with that, he fearlessly led her right into the middle of the dance floor. There they remembered what they had to do next and paused a moment. Before they could look around or second-guess themselves, however, Naruto steeled himself and moved his arms and Hinata moved her arms in reaction. Suddenly his hands were on her waist and hers were on his shoulders--

--just as the song ended.

* * *

By the time Neji made his way to the front of the crowd, he saw there was someone new on stage, and he realized it was the missing vocalist. She and TenTen shared a delighted hug, and the older girl raised a round of applause from the guests for the kunoichi.

When the cheers died down, she said, "I'm sorry for being late, everyone, but I'm just as glad my good friend TenTen could be here --I couldn't have asked for a better stand-in." TenTen blushed. "In fact, before I take over and let her get back to partying, why don't we let her have one more song?" TenTen gave a start of surprise, but the crowd cheered again. The older girl winked at her, then beamed out at the guests. "Anyone have a special request?"

Neji cleared his throat. "I do." He saw TenTen look at him with surprise, then curiosity. He reached for his pocket…

* * *

For a long moment, it hadn't registered; Naruto and Hinata stood there looking at each other breathlessly, trying to find the music they should start moving to. At the sound of applause, they'd blinked and looked around. Someone was speaking, and they saw it was the musicians' usual singer up on stage. With great effort, they managed to disengage their hands again, and they turned to hear what was being said.

They jumped at the sudden sound of a woman's piercing shriek.

Naruto dashed toward the source of the cry, wondering both what could have happened and why no one appeared to be concerned. What he saw at the front of the crowd, however, made him pull up short:

TenTen had seized Neji firmly round the neck, laughing almost hysterically and literally bouncing with elation. Smiling himself, the Hyuuga boy swung her in a circle, and by the time they came round again their lips had met. It was then Naruto finally spotted the ring in the little box TenTen clutched tightly in one hand.

He shook his head in wonder. _So _that's_ what he meant… pretty big 'decision' to be considering, alright._ The nearest pairs were reacting to the touching scene warmly, and Naruto found himself among their number; Hinata, who had arrived unnoticed, leaned absently against his side, resting her head on his shoulder, and without thought he looped an arm around her as they watched the new couple.

Soon enough, however, the other guests began to move off, and the singer declared a special song in honor of new love. When they noticed their position, Naruto and Hinata jolted apart, each cherry red and mumbling apologies that trickled into awkward silence. Hinata glanced back at her cousin who was still 'engaged' (in both meanings of the word) and offered quietly, "W-we… we p-probably ought to l-leave them alone f-for awhile…"

Naruto nodded softly. "Yeah… We can congratulate them later…" As the music started up they turned and headed back toward the dance floor. Neji and TenTen had not yet moved or broken off for air.

* * *

When they squared off to dance again, something made Naruto hitch. An image of Neji's wistful expression earlier that afternoon surfaced in his mind, followed by a flash of the kiss he'd just seen. Almost instantly the focus of the memory centered on the little ring in the box. The words of the Sand kunoichi's letter echoed through his mind. _If you really care about this girl…_ He struggled to move his hands against the thoughts clouding his brain. _...Ask _the_ question!..._

He blinked, and saw that something was making Hinata hesitate as well --her hands came up as slowly as his. Their fingertips brushed and Naruto felt waves of electricity pulse through him from the points of contact. He stared dumbly at their hands that seemed to fit so well together, until his gaze eventually wandered upward. When Hinata's face came into view, he saw her eyes rising the same way, and when they met his he knew instantly they had been pondering the same things. Their mouths opened in unison to speak, but no words came forth.

At that moment a window on the far wall shattered inward and obnoxious purple smoke began to pour through. The people nearby gave startled cries and pulled back, the shinobi staying in front of the civilians.

At the faint sound of a yelp and a crash, however, Naruto just groaned inwardly. "I know who _that's_ gotta be…" he said tiredly. He turned an apologetic look on Hinata and said, "I'll be right back." She turned a confused expression on him in return, but hesitantly she nodded.

As he hurried over to the disturbance, Naruto reflected that in a way, he was actually grateful for the distraction.

* * *

"Come (cough cough) on, guys! We've (cough) had (cough) seven years (cough) experience at this! We should be (cough cough) pros by now!"

"Don't (cough) blame us! (cough cough)"

"You're (cough) the one who (cough) put too much (cough cough) powder in the (cough) pellets again… (cough cough)"

The owner of the first voice stumbled out of the haze and frowned angrily back over his shoulder. "Yeah well--_GAH!_" A shadowy figure materialized out of the gloom and tackled him.

"Kono--_Ah!_"

"Uwaa!"

The boy tried to struggle, but within seconds he was pinned to the ground, a short sword to his neck. The last of the smoke cleared away to reveal another boy and a girl held off the ground by a swarms of insects.

Naruto was the first to reach the scene. As he came to a stop, he shook his head slowly. "I knew it. Konohamaru, just what do you think you're doing?"

"Other…than…trying…to…breathe?" the teen wheezed against the blade pressing against his throat.

From beside Naruto, another voice sighed. "Oh you three. Had to go for the flashy entrance, didn't you? It's alright, guys, we'll take it from here."

Sai glanced back at Shino. The bug master nodded, and his bugs retreated to his coat, dropping Udon and Moegi roughly on their seats. Sai sheathed his blade and got up off their leader. As all three stood and nursed sore spots, Naruto turned to their rescuer.

"Oh, S-Sakura, hey!" he exclaimed, scratching one hand behind his head.

The pink-haired girl gave him an evaluating look and a tight-lipped smile. "Good evening, Naruto. Nice to see you too," she said coolly.

"WHAT is going on here?!" Ino came storming up, Shikamaru dutifully dragging his feet after her.

Shino spoke up. "My apologies. We kept them out once already, but then we were preoccupied tracking Target One and they managed to slip through."

Ino gave the intruders a scathing glance and hissed irritably. "All right, fine, get going and don't let it happen again! If we need to toss them out, we can do it ourselves." The two dark-clad ninja nodded and vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

Konohamaru had by now collected himself and gathered his crew behind him. "'Toss us out', huh?" he huffed. "I'd like to see you try!" He stomped a foot down and pointed an accusing finger at the blond girl. "And what's the big idea anyway, throwing the Boss a party and not inviting us?!"

"Yeah!" Udon agreed.

"You hag!" Moegi finished. Naruto and Sakura winced.

Ino's face froze in a painful-looking smile, eyes gleaming dangerously. "If I wanted immature, ill-behaved little brats at _my party_," she bit out through grinding teeth, "I'd have invited the _preschool_ class from the Academy!"

Moegi just crossed her arms and _humphed!_ Konohamaru piped up again. "And while we're on the subject, how come _we're_ the last ones to know about the Trial by Leaves?"

Udon nodded. "If it's _our_ sensei being tested for something, we really ought to be involved."

Ino planted her hands on her hips. "Now listen here, you…"

As the argument continued, Sakura frowned. "Sensei?" she whispered to Naruto.

He managed to look proud and embarrassed simultaneously. "Recent transfer," he whispered back.

The debate was getting loud. "Okay, that's it!" Ino yelled. "Out! Out! OUT!"

Naruto took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Wait, let them stay. They _are_ my squad; I would have invited them myself if I knew they weren't already here." The three younger teens beamed at him.

Ino looked about to protest, but Shikamaru spoke up once again. "I don't have a problem with that. Actually, it's a good idea."

The blond looked shocked. "You are NOT serious…"

The lazy ninja just shrugged. "Sure." Moegi cheered and Konohamaru pumped a fist in victory. "…On one condition."

Curious looks were everywhere. "Condition?" Udon inquired.

Shikamaru smirked. "Your cousin is here, Konohamaru, and I'll bet he's been bored out of his mind." Tilting his head, he indicated the small boy on Kurenai's lap across the way, sitting up as tall as he could and craning his neck to peer over the crowd at them.

Konohamaru gaped. "You've gotta be kidding me! Even _Saru_ knew about this?!"

"He helped us set it up," Shikamaru joked. "Anyway, you can stay if you hang out with him." Ino grinned in understanding.

The younger teen recoiled in disgust. "No way! We didn't come here to babysit!"

"So what _did_ you come here for?" Sakura countered. Konohamaru started to shoot back a sharp reply, but then he paused to consider the question. Hesitantly, he turned to his conspirators, who gave him blank looks and shifted uncomfortably. Naruto sighed; they hadn't thought it through again.

"It wasn't to break windows," Ino supplied with an evil smile, "but we could make you spend all night fixing that one."

"Was it to dance?" Sakura asked with a gleam in her eyes. "Because we've been looking for a nice couple to dance up on stage. Alone. In front of everyone."

Moegi and Konohamaru paled. Then they shot one glance at each other and flushed red. "N-no, th-that's…" Konohamaru sputtered.

"U-uh, um…it wouldn't be fair to Udon!" The redhead blurted.

The other blushing teen perked up. "Y-yeah, that's it!"

Udon frowned at them. "I don't mind if you guys--mmph!" Moegi instantly clamped a hand over his mouth and Konohamaru gave him a punch on the head and wrapped an arm around his neck.

"We can't leave Udon out! We're a team and he's a part of it!" he eagerly explained, nearly choking said teammate.

"Then it's settled!" Ino said happily. She waved toward the stage, and the music started up again. The other guests, who had been murmuring amongst themselves, promptly forgot about the disturbance and returned to their evening.

Naruto wore a puzzled frown. "Huh? What was _that_ about?"

Sakura just rolled her eyes. "Of all people…" She moved to intercept the trio. "Konohamaru! Can I have a word with you? About the Trials…"

"What? Hey, what?" Naruto cried after her.

Shikamaru chuckled. "Naruto, you're a good guy, but it's really a drag how dense you can be sometimes. _You_ know what the deal with those two is better than anyone."

Naruto looked at him, still puzzled. He opened his mouth--

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Hinata?" Ino asked impatiently, tugging on Shikamaru's shoulder. The lazy boy let himself get pulled along.

--Naruto shut his mouth again. He still didn't really get it, but Ino was right.

* * *

He found Hinata waiting patiently where he'd left her. He explained what happened, and they shared a good laugh about the younger kids' antics, but then he mentioned their strange reaction to the idea of dancing together. Hinata blushed and pushed the ends of her fingers together.

Naruto blushed too, because he realized they were still on the dance floor and the only couple not moving. After a look around and a long pause, he coughed lightly. "…W-well, I guess we sh-should…" He tried to lift his hands and found they were trembling. _What is going on? Why am I having so much trouble with this? It's just dancing!_

"Naruto!" He jumped. Sakura was approaching, and she looked serious about something.

"H-hello, S-sakura," greeted Hinata.

The pink-haired girl turned to her and smiled warmly. "Good evening, Hinata. I really like your dress."

Hinata brightened. "Th-thank you!" she said delightedly. "Yours is very p-pretty, too."

"You think so?" Sakura did a twirl. She wore a strapless design, deep crimson with a simple pink circle on the stomach, and the fringes were decorated with creamy off-white embroidery fashioned after cherry blossoms. She shot a scornful glance at Naruto. "I'm glad _someone_ noticed." When he threw an arm to the back of his neck in embarrassment (by now he was careful not to _whap_ himself with his sleeve) she looked back at the other girl. "Anyway, Hinata, can I borrow your date for a while?"

Naruto frowned. "What's up?"

Sakura gave him an even look. "Dance with me?"

He rocked back. "Wha--? But… don't you already have a partner?"

She gave an irritated shrug. "He's off being a boy somewhere. You can keep me company for a little while, can't you?"

Naruto hesitated and glanced over at Hinata; the raven-haired girl looked dismayed at the idea. "But--"

Sakura's angry scowl returned. "But nothing! You've barely even said 'hello' to me all night, so I don't think one dance is too much to ask from an old teammate!" With that she seized his hand and dragged him away. He tried to jerk free, to no avail. He glanced back toward Hinata, but she was swallowed by the throng of dancers.

* * *

In desperation, Hinata took a couple steps after them, but two or three couples swept through, blocking her way.

"Well, well!" a voice said behind her. Kiba smirked at her. "If it's going to be a dance for old teammates, I think we fit the bill too, don't you?"

* * *

"Sakura, I really think I shouldn't…"

"No time for that, the song is starting!" she interrupted, holding up her hands. When he did not move, Sakura pouted. "I guess you really _don't_ have time for old friends…" she mumbled, sounding hurt. Naruto grimaced. With a defeated sigh, he offered his hands. She grabbed them and placed them on her waist, then took his shoulders --and they were off.

They'd gone ten full steps when his brain finally caught up, and he frowned. _What in the…?_ He was dancing. _Dancing_, without the slightest bit of hesitation. What had made it so difficult before? He'd thought it was simple stage fright, but that clearly wasn't the case. It was something to do with Hinata, then. Why was he so afraid to dance with her?

He thought back to the last couple of times they'd attempted it. What had made them --him-- hesitate? Images flashed by; Neji twirling TenTen and kissing her; a woman in the street praising him and Hinata as a 'cute couple'; himself, sweating as he read a letter from the Sand. His pulse sped up and he wrenched his thoughts away before they could tumble out of control. Realization washed over him and he nearly stopped dead in his tracks; Sakura had to pull him along the steps.

He wasn't afraid of the dance at all. The thing he feared was what might _follow_ it. He cared for Hinata, and his feelings had only grown --rapidly-- as they spent time together. He knew, somehow, that the same was true for her. If things continued like this, eventually they would wind up… they would be…

His mouth was dry. It was something he'd wondered about several times, but now that he saw a future and a girl with whom it was actually _possible_, the idea was daunting. How would he handle that commitment? Would he be ready for that responsibility? Would he even have the nerve to ask _the_ question? He didn't know, and he was afraid to find out.

Suddenly, there she was. He only caught a flash of her face before Kiba twirled her away from him. Hinata did not follow gracefully; her body was tense; her eyes kept darting over to him, and Naruto saw that she was biting her lip. Once he saw that, Naruto couldn't look away either. Seeing her in another man's arms was an image he just couldn't reconcile, and he grew more and more unsettled the more he saw.

Then Kiba spotted him and winked, pulling her a bit closer. Naruto froze. Sakura tugged at him, but something had snapped and it refused to be mended. "I'm sorry, Sakura," he murmured. He dropped his hands from her and strode over to the other pair, his jaw clenched.

Maybe he was jumping the gun. The future he glimpsed could be far off, or it might not happen at all, but it didn't matter. He didn't know exactly what possibilities lay ahead for him and Hinata, but he didn't care to; they would explore them together as they arrived.

There was only _now_ on his mind, and _now_ **he** wanted to be the one dancing with _his_ girlfriend.

He arrived just as Kiba pulled Hinata's hands up and spun her around. Without a word Naruto shouldered Kiba out of the way and caught Hinata around the waist out of her spin --and his heart did a flip at her expression of surprised joy, seeing who she had returned to. He turned an icy smile on Kiba. "Hope you don't mind me cutting in."

But Kiba just snorted. "Took you long enough." Then he shrugged. "Have fun, you two." He spun on his heel and walked away. They watched him approach a group of chatting girls and sneak up on one in particular. She gave a shriek of laughter when he swept her off the ground from behind.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I sure hope he knows her."

Hinata nodded. "H-he does. They've b-been d-dating for m-months now." Her face colored and her voice grew quieter. "He… he m-might even p-p-propose s-soon…"

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. There it was _again_.

"N-Naruto?" Her voice was even softer now.

He smirked. That was the future; back to the present. "Yeah?"

"Thank you." _For coming back to me._

He gave her a bright smile. "I came here in your company, and I just felt lost without it. Shall we dance?"

* * *

Sakura watched Naruto go with a tender smile on her lips as she backed off the dance floor. _Go get her, Naruto. Good luck --I wish you two the best._

"It would appear your plan was a resounding success!"

She nodded. "Kiba had a good idea." She saw them take one step to the music, but then someone bumped into them, spilling something on Hinata. Sakura chuckled; Naruto could be heard chewing the poor man out from across the room. Several people stopped to see what had happened; even the musicians paused at the commotion.

"Well… perhaps _mostly_ successful."

But Sakura shook her head slowly, her smile unmoved. "He'll take her to get cleaned up, and then they'll be back. And this time he won't hesitate," she said wistfully. Her smile faded, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"You are sad, Sakura?"

"No… Just a bit lonely."

"I see. You know… by name, I am your escort tonight. If it would make you smile again, I would be honored to have this dance."

Sakura turned to Rock Lee, resplendent in his spiffy green suit and sincere expression. She did give him another smile. "All right. Just one."

* * *

Tanbe sat on one of the café stools, head lolled forward and eyes closed, letting her muscles melt. With one hand, Choji kneaded her shoulders. The other massaged the calf and foot of the leg laid across his own.

"All I said was that I felt like sitting down for a bit…" she mumbled. Choji just smiled and tapped her other leg. As she shifted to pull it up next to the one he had, one of the bouquets he'd bought for her --even over her protests that she didn't need any-- slipped and fell to the ground.

She made a feeble attempt to grab it, but Choji gently held her back. "No, I'll get it."

She frowned at him as he got up and bent over to retrieve her flowers. "You're not going to let me do anything tonight, are you?" she said irritably.

"Not if I can help it," he joked, setting the bouquet on her lap. He took his seat again.

"When we got here and they needed help finishing setup, you sat me at a table and made me promise not to move…"

He pulled her feet up. "That's right."

"You wouldn't let me help give out refreshments either…"

"Nope." He resumed her massage. Her shoulders turned to putty under his fingers, but she still glared at him accusingly.

"You bring my own food and drink to me. You pick up things _I_ drop. You give me a _massage_ when I need just a moment's rest…" He just smiled at her. She turned a bit so he could reach a new spot on her back and sighed. "It's unfair. You keep hogging all the work, and I can't have any."

"I'm selfish that way," he agreed.

"You didn't have any problem letting Naruto and Hinata help out."

"My request said 'one overworked volunteer to spend a _relaxing_ evening.' Naruto and Hinata were friends helping out a friend --just like I'm doing now." Before she could argue, he stopped and looked at her seriously. "You've had aches and pains for weeks now because you break your back every day pulling, planting, painting, and running all over town. I'm a shinobi. I'm used to the workload, so I'm going to do my best to make sure a tired body gets its badly needed rest." He patted her leg and smiled again. "You spend almost all of your time making everyone else's lives easier. Just for tonight, let yourself be a princess, and let me treat you like one."

Tanbe blushed rather nicely. She gave his arm a weak punch as a final sign of protest, but she wore a pleased smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Choji Akamichi! I challenge you!"

They looked up to see Rock Lee in a heroic pose, finger pointing right at Choji. The hefty boy blinked. "Um, hi, Lee. What are you talking about?"

"An epic battle of culinary proportions! A clash of iron wills and fiery appetites to see whose stomach is supreme!"

Choji gave him a blank look. "Lee, I'm not going to fight you in the middle of the party if that's what you want."

Tanbe was eying him curiously. Hesitantly, she said, "I think he means an eating contest."

Lee smiled with confidence. "Yes! Exactly, though put in the simplest terms."

Now Choji looked even more confused. "Lee, you know you can't win one of those with _me_. What's going on?"

"You may be the champion, but my cause has always been to fight the battles of the underdog! As such I shall do my best to dethrone you!" He hesitated, then leaned forward, clapped a hand on the other boy's shoulder, and whispered conspiratorially, "If the truth must be known, this is a challenge I myself received during a rousing game of Truth or Dare, and you know I am never one to refuse a challenge."

Choji glanced behind Lee and finally saw the three grinning teens and one positively beaming four-year-old. He laughed. "Is that so? In that case, it would be rude to refuse!"

As Lee turned to give the thumbs-up to the kids, Tanbe hopped up. "Great! I'll get the food and be the judge!" Her escort caught her hand and gave her a stern look. She leaned right up to his face and winked. "Pamper a princess too much and she gets fat and selfish. You can dote on me later, my champion." She gave him a kiss on the cheek --and freed her hand while he was distracted.

Several moments later, a tall glass of punch and a mountain of pastries towered before each challenger. The kids gathered close behind, ready to cheer them on. Tanbe stood on the far side of the counter, holding two napkins up high. Smiling broadly, she snapped them downward. "Begin!"

* * *

Lee stepped outside and leaned against the wall, one hand on his stomach. He'd put forth a valiant effort, but the eating champion had still beaten him handily. Still, he figured that if he tried to eat 100 bowls of ramen and do 4000 stomach crunches a day, then maybe he'd be ready for a rematch.

"Psst."

Lee frowned and glanced around.

"Pssssst!"

He turned toward the noise and caught a glimpse of white hair before whoever it was ducked behind a building. An enemy? He smiled; if it was, there was nothing like a good battle to work off a full stomach.

Lee trotted off to investigate.

* * *

Ino took one more look around. Everyone looked happy. She let out the breath she'd been holding all night and let herself have a moment to rest before checking on the door guards. When she felt arms snaking around her waist, she jumped and started to turn.

"Relax, Ino, it's just me," Shikamaru said. He hugged her again, and she slumped back against him. He spoke soothingly in her ear. "You're tense. Seriously, _relax_. Party successful, mission complete."

She grimaced and tried to pull away. "Shino and Sai--"

"--are doing their job just fine." He wouldn't let go.

Ino shook her head. "The brat squad--"

"--turned out to be more help than harm. We were trying to figure out what to do about Saru, remember? The decorations are up. The musicians are all here, happy, and playing. The guests are all fed, happy, and dancing." He dropped a kiss on her cheek and she paused. "I think it's about time you joined your own party." He chuckled. "After all, I can't enjoy myself until you do."

She snorted. "Selfish slacker." She quit trying to get away and settled into his arms.

He smirked. "Troublesome busybody."

They stood there watching the dance floor for a long moment in silence. Absently, they began to sway to the music.

Ino frowned as she thought of something. "Shikamaru? I've been wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"What was that letter?"

She felt him tense up. "What letter?"

She frowned and turned her head to look at him. "Don't play dumb with me! I saw Naruto hand you a letter hours ago when he got here. What was it?"

Shikamaru looked her right in the eye. "Nothing. Junk mail."

Her mouth opened in disbelief and she stopped their swaying dance. "Huh-_uh_. Naruto would _not_ have bothered to deliver junk mail. What are you hiding from me?"

"Maybe I'll tell you in a month."

"Shikamaru!" She turned in his arms to face him directly.

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll show you in a week." He chuckled. "Look, it's nothing to worry about, I promise." He put on a sly smirk and pulled back far enough that his hands were on her waist. "And if you're going to be troublesome about it, maybe I just _won't_ dance with you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Ha! I'd love to see you try to find _another_ girl who can tolerate a lazy slob like you." She reached her hands up to his shoulders.

"I could probably look all my life and not find a one. Guess that means we're stuck together." His mouth drifted forward.

So did hers. "Guess it does."

"There she is! Hey! Hag lady!"

Ino froze. Shikamaru's head slumped forward. "What do you want, Konohamaru?" he called tiredly.

"Something to _do_ would be nice! We're bored crazy here!" Konohamaru's obstinate pose and expression was mirrored by Moegi. Udon shifted like he wanted to apologize, and Saru just looked excited.

"So _find_ something. You're clever ninja. Don't be a drag…" Shikamaru was eying Ino carefully; the blond girl was staring off into space where she'd frozen, and she looked all too much like she was pondering various methods of murder. He decided he'd better deal with this quickly.

Moegi shrugged. "We did everything we can think of."

"We even tried Hide-and-Seek, for Kage's sake!" Konohamaru added.

Saru piped up. "We thought we found a monster in town, Uncle Shika!"

Shikamaru snorted with amusement. "Oh yeah? Did you now?"

Udon raised his hand. "Yeah, but that just turned out to be Akamaru being a guard dog at the door."

Konohamaru crossed his arms behind his head. "Anyway, like I said, we're bored and we've run out of ideas!"

"And-- how-- is-- that-- our-- problem?" Ino ground out, jerking back into reality.

The younger teen shrugged. "You're the one who planned this whole thing. Don't you have anything else to do?"

Before Ino could make the suggestion she looked like she _dearly_ wanted to, Shikamaru cleared his throat. They each whirled on him, and he winced. _I should be getting paid for this…_ "I have a thought." He pulled a small radio from his pocket and spoke into it. "Hey Sai, you there?"

A crackle, and then a voice came through. "Go."

"Remember that thing you brought?" He saw Ino smile. "Looks like we could use it after all. Get it out of storage and bring it in, would you?" Sai voiced an affirmation and the radio quieted. Shikamaru put it back away and refused to notice all the curious looks he was getting. A handful of moments later, the painter ninja appeared, carrying--

"You've _got_ to be kidding. A _piñata?!_" Konohamaru exclaimed in dismay. "How little-kiddie can you _get?!_" Sai blinked at him. It was, in fact, a colorful paper maché fox on a string, complete with a whacking stick.

Shikamaru took the thing from Sai and dismissed him. He turned to Konohamaru with a smirk. "'Little-kiddie', huh? You forgetting that one of your group _is_ a little kid?"

Ino took the stick from Shikamaru and offered it to him. "Besides, if it's _so easy_, let's see you take a swing at it, big boy," she said with a smug look. Shikamaru held the string and dangled the piñata directly in front of himself.

With the rest of his group egging him on, Konohamaru grumblingly took the stick, aimed, and swung--

--far to the left of his target. He yelped in surprise as he toppled through empty space.

Moegi was stunned. "Konohamaru!"

"Where're you swinging, Boss?" Udon asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, where're you swinging, kid?" Ino taunted. Growling, he got up and again swung far off the mark, this time the other way.

By the fifth such attempt, Ino was practically laughing her head off, thoroughly irking Konohamaru. "What's going on?" he yelled. "What's the trick to this thing?"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Glad you finally asked. See, a genjutsu has been applied to both the piñata and the stick. As long as you're holding the stick, you'll have a tough time finding your target." He tossed it to Udon, who stared at it admiringly. "Go hang that up somewhere and see how long _that_'ll distract you." The four of them ran off excitedly.

He smirked as he turned to Ino. "See what I mean?" She glanced at him, puzzled. He nodded after the departing kids. "More help than harm. They sure gave _you_ a good chuckle. Great stress reliever." She snorted and gave a reluctant smile. They turned toward each other. "Now then, where were we?"

She stepped closer. "I believe we were just about to go dance. I'm pretty sure you were going to kiss me first, though…"

He snaked his arms around her. "Sounds like a drag." His head started dipping toward her.

"Sounds troublesome," she agreed. She met him halfway.

* * *

Naruto couldn't believe their bad luck. First it was that thing with Neji and TenTen, then Konohamaru and his friends, and then Sakura and Kiba. Then, when he'd finally rid himself of doubts, some jerk spilled his drink on Hinata. Naruto had made absolutely certain that guy knew what he thought of _that_, but apparently he'd drawn some attention doing so; when they tried to return to the floor after cleaning up Hinata's dress, a crowd of well-wishers stood in their way. (Several wanted to know if they were going steady.) By the time the two of them finally got free again, the musicians announced they'd be taking a break. Several such inconveniences had followed.

In short, it seemed as if the whole world was conspiring to keep Naruto and Hinata from dancing with each other; they'd not taken more than fifteen rhythmical steps together over the entire evening.

This, of course, made Naruto more determined than ever to do so. Now as they tried once again to take the dance floor he glared kunai at everyone around them, _daring_ the world to try interfering again.

This turned out to be a bad idea; with a tremendous _crash_, a section of wall disintegrated.

"Gai-sensei! I'm red-- --ready to train!!" a voice warbled. As the dust settled, Rock Lee, wobbly on his feet, squinted unfocused eyes out at the crowd staring curiously back at him. "Gai-sensei?" He sounded totally baffled. "Where are you?"

Naruto exchanged a glance with Hinata and saw they both knew what had to be done. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll get one in tonight, I promise. Help keep the crowd back."

Hinata was clearly disappointed, but she nodded. "B-be c-careful…" They split off. Naruto was already forming a hand sign as he ran.

* * *

"That guy…that guy said you were h-- --here, Gai-sensei! So…so where…?" Lee saw a blurry mass of color begin to get further away, and several other things (people, maybe?) getting closer. Lee didn't care; none of them seemed to be Gai-sensei. Then he spotted something green off to the side that was moving, too. He felt his face twist into a stupid grin. "Gai-sensei! I found you!" He took off running as fast as he could, but the room was making it difficult --the ground kept pitching and swaying. Something blue like a river swept by underneath, but when he tried to look at it the pavement reached up and slapped him.

Several of the people-things came flying past --it looked like they were trying to hit him. An obstacle course! The training had already started! He whooped at the challenge and plowed his way through. He stumbled under or around most of them, but the stupid moving ground threw him right into one several times, and then puffy white smoke would wash across his already-blurry vision.

He smiled bigger yet. He wasn't doing too well, but this was great training!

* * *

Choji caught Naruto before he could slam into the café counter. The two of them dove out of the way just in time; Lee tripped as he arrived, and instantly the place was pulverized, snacks and drinks flying every direction.

Kiba turned to shield himself from the volleys. He heard the drunken boy say in a puzzled voice, "G-- --Gai-sensei, you tur--turned into a mountain of cookies…" A pause. "WOOHOO!! COOKIES!! WAHAHAHA!!" Lee came barreling chaotically out of the debris cloud, stuffing his face with sweets.

Shikamaru yanked Kiba out of the way before he could get flattened. "Great…" the lazy boy said with exasperation. "Now we've got to deal with a sugar rush, too."

"I thought you said nothing was spiked!" Naruto exclaimed as he and Choji got to their feet.

"Nothing is! Whatever he got, he got from outside!"

"We can figure that stuff out later!" snapped Ino.

Lee was doing a bizarre, lopsided dance that might vaguely have resembled warm-up stretches. Kiba quirked an eyebrow. "What is he…?"

Lee stood upright so quickly he fell flat on his back. Bouncing right back up, he yelled, "O-- --okay, time for three hunnerd… hundurd… fweeeee hundred l-- --laps!"

They all looked at each other, sharing the same thought. _Oh, __**no**__…_

What followed was chaos: Lee wove to and fro at random across the dance floor, laughing like the madman he was as he somehow dodged every attempt his friends made to catch hold of him. At one point, he swung away from Neji's grabs like a wet noodle, bending at impossible angles from his ankles before bowling the Hyuuga's legs out from under him. A bit later he leapt over a sliding tackle from Kiba and belly-flopped to the concrete. When Choji's massive hand tried to pin him down, he rolled up on his face and bounced away on his head, cackling with glee.

Shikamaru finally managed to snag Lee with his shadow, freezing him in place. Before anyone could stop her, Ino fired her signature jutsu. One of Naruto's clones caught her limp body --and an instant later she was back to it, one hand shooting to her head, the other to her stomach. "Oooo…bad idea, baaaad idea…" she groaned. Her hand moved to her mouth. "_I think…I'm going to be sick…!_" The clone dropped her in alarm. "**Hey!**"

Lee's face scrunched in a frown. "That…that was w-- --weird…Oh well!" He tried to sprint, but since his feet were still anchored by shadow he just fell flat, making Shikamaru jerk forward with a yelp.

_BAM!_

Shikamaru let go of Lee's shadow. One clumsy roll and the drunken fool was off again.

Most of the male ninja had left the crowd huddled by the stage to help. Most of them wished they hadn't; even as Lee made cracks in the pavement with his own various appendages, he was happy to help his would-be captors make their own. Everyone else, when they'd gotten over their initial alarm, found Lee's antics very entertaining; cheers arose for the boys' efforts, followed by teases and wild laughter when they failed.

Midway through one of his 'laps', Lee looked over toward the cheers and caught sight of the big glass fountain. "Oooo, pre-- --pretty…" he said, oblivious to the fact he was hurtling toward it.

Ino was horrified. "No! Not the fountain!"

Naruto panicked. "Lee! It's…it's Sakura!" he blurted.

Lee promptly biffed it flat out, digging a small trench with his face. Pulling his head from the new gravel, he called back, "S-- --Sakura?"

A dozen faces turned to Naruto. "Uh, yeah, she's…" he looked around frantically. "--She's lost in town! She needs your help!" On hearing this, Sakura nodded and ducked behind cover.

Lee got up. Two young men seized his arms --and then flew yelping through the air as he spun to see where 'town' was. He tried to strike his nice-guy pose, but the alcohol ruined the effect. "I-- _urp_ --I'm coming, Sakura!!" He dashed toward the fake shops --and plowed right through the first wall he came to.

Naruto winced, aware of Ino's eyes boring angrily into his back, before he and the rest pursued.

* * *

Even though the spectators couldn't see the shenanigans any more, they could still _hear_, and that was somehow even more humorous.

"Lee! Calm down!"

"You're joking, right?"

"Sa-- --Sakura, where aaaare youuuu?" _Crash!_

"I got him!"

"Look out!"

"Wha--_oof!_"

"Don't got him…"

"Sa-- …sa-- …see-saw? …What was I doing…?"

"_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_"

"AUGH!!" _Wham!_ The ground trembled.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Get… your… knee… off… my… stomach!"

"Wait! Anyone see him?"

"Where did he…?"

"Peekaboo! I see you! Wahaha!"

"Gah!" Ka-_BAM!_

"That is not going to work, you have to--"

"I know, I know! You don't have to tell me!"

"Weeee… oh? Uh? Eh?"

"Oh no… He's not really going to--"

"Pur-- --purty liiiights…" The sound of breaking glass. _Fizzle fizzle…_

"I'M GONNA **KILL** HIM! _I'M GONNA __**KILL HIM!!**__"_ (That was Ino)

"Hey, hey, we don't need another crazy here!"

"Such a drag…"

"Ooo(hic)ooh…"

"Where'd he get a paper bomb?!"

"Thas-- that's not a c-- --cookie…"

_**BOOM!**_ The girls who weren't incapacitated by laughter turned to shield themselves from falling wood chips.

"Akamaru! Circle around and we'll--"

"I'll get him!"

"Konohamaru! Wait… wait…"

"NOW!"

…The sounds finally grew quiet --except for the dull roar of the crowd, of course.

* * *

The Frog Sage leapt from rooftop to rooftop, laughing so hard he almost stumbled several times. True, he hadn't gotten to do it himself, but it had been _perfect_, oh so _priceless_.

"JIRAIYA!" A **very** angry Shizune --who had finally gotten free of his _distraction_-- was right on his heels with the two door guards.

"Looks like you've still got some watermelon on your face, Shizune!" he called back jovially.

She made a sound like a screeching cat. "GET BACK HERE!!"

He laughed. "You can't prove anything! You can't prove anything!"

* * *

Naruto had asked her to stay with the civilians, but Hinata couldn't help herself; they were safe and she was worried. If there was anything she could do to help…

But when she turned the corner, she saw that it was already over; there was splintered wood and cracked pavement everywhere, a couple guttering flames, one large crater, and a lot of exhausted--looking young men, but no Rock Lee running amok. A second later she spotted him, still babbling and struggling mightily but futilely in the grips of Kiba, Konohamaru and four Narutos. One of the blond boys saw her and grinned triumphantly.

Choji grunted. "So, we got him… now what?"

Ino was irate. "Get him out of here!"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Great. Where do we take him?"

"I don't care!! JUST GET HIM GONE!!"

Neji looked thoughtful. "There is a psych ward two blocks away. There are rooms built to contain ninja, where Lee should be safe until he…sobers."

Hinata frowned; she thought she saw an evil smile sprout on one of the Narutos, but when she looked again he'd turned away. "A psych ward, huh? Know where that is, Konohamaru?"

The younger boy had a strange glint in his eye as he answered. "Sure thing, Boss!"

Kiba didn't notice either oddity. "Hey Akamaru," he called, "Go find Nomi and make sure she's okay. I'll be right back."

A fifth Naruto jogged up and gave Hinata a big hug. "Like he says, 'right back'." With a sly wink, he headed out with the rest of them.

"Hey…" someone spoke up. "Anyone else smell that?"

* * *

Konohamaru got the door. Kiba and the Narutos moved Lee through into the padded containment room. There they stopped. Kiba looked around. "Okay. We got him in here. Any clue how _we_ get _out_ without him?"

He didn't like the look he was getting from each of his friend's faces. _Poof! Poof poof! Poof!_ He dropped the leg he'd been holding and jumped for the door --to find it slammed shut. The lock clicked.

"What's goin' on, guys?" he asked nervously. Lee was slow getting up, but he _was_ getting up.

"Don't sound so surprised, Kiba," Naruto taunted through the window. Konohamaru wore a smirk identical to his teacher's. "After all, you've been _earning_ this for a while lately."

Kiba's eyes narrowed and he nodded slowly in understanding. "…This is payback for the Forest of Death, isn't it?" Lee was looking around on wobbling legs.

"And tonight. It's 'like a fairy tale' --the _jerk_ gets his just rewards in the end." He waved goodbye. "Have fun, you two…"

Konohamaru took the window when Naruto turned away. "Hey Lee! Kiba just said your sensei smells like a monkey!"

"WHAAaaaAAT?!"

* * *

When the two of them returned to the warehouse, they found everyone outside. Kiba's date came up to them and asked about him. Naruto mentioned that he'd volunteered to stay with Lee until he was better --Akamaru was nearby but thankfully napping. She said it was very sweet of Kiba to be looking out for a friend, to which Konohamaru had snickered and replied, "Oh, he's _watching out_ all right…" Naruto gave him a panicked sock on the head, made a hasty escape, and went to find his girlfriend. He found his other friends first.

"…ust _what_ was in that piñata, Sai?!" Ino was demanding.

"I did not inquire. The shop owner only said it was 'great fun'."

Shikamaru looked suspicious. "What store?"

"Kai's Novelty and Practical Jokes."

The lazy boy sighed and Ino made a disgusted noise.

Naruto saw Hinata and walked up to her. "Hi again. What's going on?"

"O-oh, w-welcome back, N-naruto." She pushed the tips of her two fingers together, looking embarrassed. "I-it… w-what h-happened was… I-I mean…"

"Konohamaru's squad and little Saru had been playing with a piñata Sai brought," Sakura supplied as she stepped over to them. "Seems it finally got broken open somehow or other, but the thing turned out to be filled with stink bombs. We managed to get everyone out before it got too bad, but it's not going to be pleasant in there for several hours at least." Hinata nodded uncomfortably.

Naruto glanced around for Konohamaru, but he and the rest of his squad seemed to have disappeared --likely for self-preservation.

"Well, I guess that's it," Shikamaru said, glancing at Ino. "It was getting close to time anyway."

She nodded, then raised her voice to the crowd. "Listen up, everyone. It's getting late, and obviously our main party hall is--" She glared at Sai. He didn't react. "--_unavailable_. So the main part of the night is now over. If you're getting tired or you've had enough, now is a good time to go home." She smiled. "However, if anyone feels like more, just follow us." She and Shikamaru walked off toward another building. Neji and TenTen, still attached at the arm, were the first couple after them. Kurenai carried a drowsy four-year-old off to bed.

As the rest of the crowd split up, some leaving and some following, Naruto turned to the ladies beside him. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

Hinata blushed. "I-I… I would l-like to c-continue, i-i-if that's al-alright." _We still haven't had that dance._

He grinned. "Of course! I hoped you were going to say that!" _We still haven't had that dance!_

But Sakura shook her head. "Sorry guys, I think I'm going to call it quits." At Naruto's expression, she gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you. I'm just getting tired."

He searched her with uncertainty. "…All right, but just don't stay up too late alone, okay?"

She nodded. "Good night, Naruto. Good night, Hinata, it was good seeing you." They responded in kind, and she left.

Hinata tentatively stepped closer to her boyfriend and was reassured to feel his arm wrap around her. As she looked up at his grinning face, he said, "Well, let's go. We don't want to be left behind, right?"

* * *

The remaining guests filed into a room that could best be described as… plain. It was perfectly square, relatively roomy, and uniformly painted a dull shade of grey.

Naruto was unimpressed. "I gotta say, Ino, after that warehouse, this place is kind of disappointing."

As the musicians set up, Ino just flashed a secret smile and pressed a button on the wall. A trap door opened in the ceiling and a large ball made of small square mirror tiles lowered down.

TenTen got everyone's attention. "This room _is_ very plain. _But._ With this device…" Neji placed his hand on a control and pumped some chakra into it. The ball glowed blue for a second, and then--

"Whoah…" Naruto said with awe.

"Beautiful…" Hinata breathed. Several gasps went up in agreement.

They and the rest of the guests now stood on a vast beach, a dazzling sunset before them. "…we can be absolutely anywhere," TenTen finished proudly. Another flash of blue light and they were in a jungle clearing before a sparkling waterfall, then on a flat snowy mountaintop gazing out over cloudy sky. "Chakra is fed into the mirror ball, which then projects a potent genjutsu through its special tiles. For our first dance here, I thought we'd go with our original theme …" She placed her hand over her fiancé's. "…and have a night under the stars!"

The blue light washed through the room again and left them in the void of space, surrounded and illuminated by thousands of twinkling pinpricks of light.

"So. What do you guys think now?"

Naruto strode slowly into the middle of the room. A comet zipped by beneath his feet. Without a word, he turned and held his hand out toward the crowd. Smiling, Hinata came and took it.

* * *

Countless pairs of admiring eyes were on them, but Hinata didn't notice. It had been her secret prayer that something magical would happen tonight, and being here, dancing through the wondrous heavens with the man of her dreams, was beyond her wildest hopes. She pressed her cheek to his chest and sighed with contentment; here in his arms everything just felt so _right_, she wished she could stay there forever.

A secret smile came to her lips as a song surfaced in her mind. It was so perfect for them and then that she just couldn't hold it in. It was an old song, one he probably wouldn't know, but even so she sang it softly enough that he wouldn't hear:

"_Standing here in the moonlight…"_

"…_Will you be my shadow?"_ She gave a start and looked up; he wore a warm smile and tenderly stroked her cheek. When she only stared, pink and breathless, he glanced around them admiringly and continued the song: _"Staring up at the night sky…"_

Her eyes watered; her heart felt like it would burst. _"…Will you be my star?"_

He turned that smile on her again and she just melted. _"Take my hand… I'll guide you through the future."_

Tears of joy streaming freely, she buried her face in his chest and hugged him even tighter. _"Take my hand… I'll follow near or far."_

They hummed the rest together, wandering through the melody as they wandered through the heavens. This would truly be a night to remember.

* * *

(End ...?)

* * *

On a hill overlooking the Hidden Leaf Village but well outside its bounds stood a figure enshrouded in shadow. Two red eyes burned like coals within its hood, boring down on one building in particular.

"So… he's taken with the Byakugan girl." That was interesting. The Byakugan was a useful bloodline trait on its own. What would it be like, backed with the Fox's power?

The black pattern across the crimson irises blurred for a half-instant. The flesh around it twitched in annoyance; after three years these new eyes still had not fully adjusted to his body? It was true the time to strike was still far off, but still the fact was vexing.

At some imperceptible signal, the half-dozen silhouettes hunched down behind him pulled languidly upright. As he turned to go, he cast one last look toward the Village.

"Grow stronger, Naruto Uzumaki. Produce a powerful bloodline for me, and you shall make the perfect prize to round out my collection."

* * *

(End. For real.)

* * *

Okay, several things:

1) Leave me a review! Remember, I put a **lot** of effort into this!

2) Maybe it's just because I was working on it for so long, but it felt like I was dragging at some points. What do you guys think, are there places I could improve or cut out?

3) Several of you have already made note of Sasuke's absence throughout Trial by Leaves. By now it should be apparent to everybody that Sasuke _is not present_. At all. I did not forget him; I've been consciously dancing around mentioning him, though he _has_ been hinted at. (I'll leave it up to you to find _where_. :P ) His fate will be revealed three or four chapters down the line, so just be patient.

4) Along those lines, I'm going to come right out and tell you that final mysterious figure _**will not**_ reappear in Trial by Leaves. Nope, the next you'll even hear of his plot will be in this story's sequel, and don't expect to learn his name until the next sequel after **that_._** Oh yes, I am _that_ evil. Perhaps I _should_ change my name to ArcTheSith. ;P

5) People who submitted ideas for this party that I wound up using include:  
-ani -- Neji/TenTen fluff, Lee's eating contest challenge, Choji/Tanbe fluff, Kono-complaints  
-Demon of Konoha -- Kono Corp crashing, Lee's challenge, character-specific duties (ie Akamichi catering, Sai's decoration)  
-xoxoxlovestinksxoxox -- letters from the Sand  
-Blinkin -- Gaara's letter, Tanbe's background  
-Gingeh -- ChoTan/NaruHina/NejiTen/ShikaIno fluff  
-Wingless-Crying-Angel -- Choji/Tanbe fluff, Kono Corp Truth or Dare  
-Shawny Wong -- Konohamaru conspires with Naruto  
-Insertyourfanfichere -- Temari's letter, Sai's pinata  
-Rockomaniac -- TenTen singing, Hinata's song  
-Lord of the Trees -- Drunken Lee  
(Note: these might not be specifically what they suggested, but these people provided my inspiration and motivation for these ideas)

And that's about it. The next update will definitely come sooner than two months from now, and I'll try to make it within one.  
Until then, everyone!

ArcTheSi--Jedi! ArcTheJedi! (Silly me ;P )


	8. TenTen

Hey folks, I'm finally back again. I meant to have this updated last week, but... (sigh) ...my Granddad passed away last Monday, and his funeral was on Saturday. :( Understandably, I've been a bit... distracted. So, sorry I'm late (again), and I tried to hold to my usual standard of writing, but I apologize in advance if the quality dipped a little.

But that's enough of that. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read these witty disclaimers I make? Drop me a line in a PM or review if you do!**

* * *

"I finally have the answer to your riddle, by the way."

"Oh yeah?"

The two of them lounged back, empty ramen bowls beside them. They stared up at the clouds, fond memories of the night before playing through their minds. A cool wind breezed by, stirring a clutter of leaves into the air. As they cut in front of the sun, each young man saw a different pair of faces laughing and twirling among them.

"I got it during Neji's Trial. Pretty obvious, actually."

A smirk. "I thought you might."

The blond nodded. "'If you learn all you can about me, I can defeat any of the most powerful ninja in the world. If you leave me behind, your choice will doom you.' No jutsu or person is invincible. There's always some strategy that will work --the trick is finding it." He turned to the lazy guy next to him and smiled. "The answer, then, is tactics. Know enough about 'em to come up with the right strategy --even on the fly-- and you can't lose. Charge headlong into battle without any forethought…"

"…and you're asking to get it thrown in your face," Shikamaru finished appreciatively.

Naruto chuckled. "Something I know from too much experience."

"No joke. Alright, your turn."

The blond frowned. "Huh?"

Shikamaru gave him a frank look. "Did you forget the rules of my test? You've answered my question, now you've got to stump me with one."

"Oh! Ah, I knew that…" Naruto's brow knitted in concentration. "Um… erm… uh…" Eventually, he grimaced and gave up: "…'I'm a star without a twinkle, I shoot but don't shine, and--'"

"A shuriken. First-year students at the Academy learn that one, Naruto."

Naruto scratched at his hair abashedly. "A-heh, r-right… Oh!" His eyes lit up and he waved his hands excitedly. "Hey wait, I just thought of a better one!"

Shikamaru shrugged dismissively. "Nope. You get one question and that was it."

The other boy looked crestfallen. "Whaaaat? Come on, you said yourself that was so weak!" he whined. "I just couldn't think of anything else right away!"

"Rough deal. No one said you had to rush. Spend more thought on it next time --or better yet think of one ahead of time." The lazy boy sighed and leaned back. "Now, my turn again, huh? That means I gotta come up with another question…"

"I thought you just said to think ahead…" said a grumpy Naruto.

Shikamaru continued as though he hadn't heard. "It's too much of a drag to make up another riddle, so…" He shrugged again. "Let's do an easy one. Name one thing that will never let a ninja down."

Naruto snorted. "That _is_ easy. The Rasen--" He cut off mid-word and paused. Shikamaru was staring at him, brow arched expectantly. The blond's eyes narrowed and he nodded slowly. "…Good tactics," he said instead.

A smirk sprouted. "Much better guess." The lazy boy leaned back again and closed his eyes. "Still wrong, though. Even the best tactical plans can fall flat. Sometimes the other guys have surprises…"

"…And sometimes there are mistakes on our side." Naruto nodded again, looking thoughtful. "Makes sense." He glanced up at the sun; the leaves had blown off somewhere. He stood and placed money on the counter. "I think I'll go see what Hinata's up to. See ya." Shikamaru just shrugged.

Just then, however, TenTen came hurrying up to the stand. "I was hoping… you'd still be here…" she gasped, hands on her knees.

"What's up, TenTen?" asked Naruto. She took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"I need your help! There's been a robbery!"

Naruto jerked. "What?! Where?"

"At the warehouse where we had the party last night. The thief took something very important not too long ago. Neji's going to investigate on his own, but we need all the help I can get!"

The blond nodded quickly. He turned to Shikamaru but the lazy bum spoke up before he could say anything. "Heard it. Sounds like a drag. Good luck."

Naruto grimaced in annoyance. He looked back at TenTen. "Let's go!"

* * *

"What do we know?" Naruto asked as they leapt along the rooftops.

"It was one thief, probably male, unknown whether he's shinobi or not. We don't know how he got in undetected, but witnesses saw him leaving the scene. As for what he took…" TenTen paused for a moment as they used a tree branch to flip across a wide gap. "Do you remember that genjutsu mirror ball?"

The memory of that first fateful dance through the stars sprouted a silly grin on his face. "Oh yeah I do." Then he came back the present and frowned. "Wait, why would someone steal that?" They were approaching the warehouse district, and the buildings grew more regular in height.

TenTen shook her head. "My cousin is an inventor. He tinkers with some everyday stuff, but he also does a few projects for the military every now and then." Her mouth twisted downward unhappily. "The mirror ball was civilian, but he told me about a couple ways it might be adapted to shinobi use to great effect. If someone from another Village had the same ideas…"

Naruto nodded grimly. "We have to get it back."

* * *

As the two ninja dashed into the warehouse, Naruto sniffed twice and winced. "That must have been one heck of a stink bomb…" he muttered. He turned to TenTen. "Okay, who are our witnesses?"

TenTen glanced around. "The message explaining what happened came from Ino so I assume she's one of them, but I don't see her anywhere."

Naruto gestured at a pile of cleaning supplies. "Looks like they'll be back soon. While we wait we should take a look around." As he spoke he formed a hand sign. "_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_"

Eight Narutos and TenTen spread out to examine the area. The place was still in ruins from last night's… adventure. Broken glass, splintered wood, and hunks of shattered concrete littered the ground. Some of the pseudo-town's colorful stands and storefronts were still up, but most had been taken down and packed away. One spot had been cleared of rubble, the pavement partially repaired, but right in the middle of the space several paint cans streaked with blue pigment sat next to an obnoxious splash of the color plastered across the floor. Aside from that, everything looked about like Naruto last remembered it.

While his clones continued the search, Naruto let his mind drift to the memories of the night before. That stand by the door was the first he and Hinata had seen on arriving; he remembered the cute look of surprise and curiosity on her face. Those bulbs over there were part of the lightshow they'd marveled at; the multicolored glows had found perfect reflection in her pale eyes. That sign had startled her; he'd seen it already but nearly punched it anyway. He knelt and picked up a piece of facade with a ridiculous-looking monkey painted on it; he'd made a silly face at it and Hinata had giggled --then shrieked with laughter when he turned the face on her and chased her a few steps.

Naruto smiled and glanced around further. Every image he could think of centered on Hinata. That spot was where she'd put her hand on his arm when she thought he wouldn't notice. Over there were the remains of the snack counter where he'd learned she loved raspberry tarts. She'd sighed there. She'd sneezed over there. She'd blushed there, there, there, there, and there. He turned. And over there was where he'd held her as they watched Neji and TenTen…

He looked at TenTen to catch her admiring the ring on her finger, and he knew from the far-off look in her eye that her mind was on the same memory. Naruto smirked, wondering how often she had revisited the moment. "Hey, TenTen," he called. She gave a start and glanced at him. "I just realized I never congratulated you." He nodded toward her hand.

TenTen smiled. "Thank you." She gingerly touched the ring again. "It's still hard to believe it's all real, you know?"

Naruto realized there was something else he wanted to ask, something nagging in the back of his mind, but before he could put it into words they heard voices approaching.

"…don't have to shout, Ino…"

"I don't care how bad a hangover you've got, Lee! It's your own fault anyway so I'll yell all I want!"

Naruto dissipated his clones and jogged back over to TenTen just as a grumpy Ino and a pathetic-looking Rock Lee rounded the corner. The young man looked awful, with droopy limbs, bags under his half-lidded eyes, mussed hair that was not at all shiny, and blue paint splayed across his rumpled jacket. The blond girl looked about to give him another tongue-lashing when she caught sight of the two of them. "There you are!" she said, pulling Lee stumbling toward them.

"There _you_ are!" TenTen corrected, hurrying to meet her. "I stopped for help along the way, but I came as soon as I got your message. Tell us what you saw."

Ino glanced at Naruto, nodded, and began. "Well, the first thing I did this morning was report to the Hokage. With her approval, I immediately retrieved this idiot--" She rapped Lee on the head. He groaned, swatted her hand away and rubbed his temples. "--for his punishment. We gathered all the supplies we needed--"

"What she means is that she made me carry dozens of heavy boxes and cans in here!" Lee whined. "Screaming in my ear the whole way!"

"--and I got him to work fixing up the damage around here as his punishment."

"She put me to manual labor --knowing the shape I am in-- and physically abused me with no consideration to my aching body!"

"Yeah, I shoved your nose in it a little. I made sure you understood the mess you made of my party!"

"I tell you I do not remember any of--"

"Oh you just save it! We've all heard that amnesia excuse a million times!"

"GUYS!" Naruto yelled impatiently. "Focus! We're trying to catch a thief here, remember?!"

Lee winced and mumbled something about yelling people and headaches. Ino looked flustered and embarrassed. "Right, right, sorry. Anyway, we were cleaning that area over there when someone in dark ninja gear came running in with a big box. He plowed into Lee and sent paint cans flying everywhere. When he dropped his box I saw the mirror ball in it and knew he had stolen it, but he picked it back up and got away."

"You didn't try to stop him?" TenTen asked in disbelief.

Ino looked annoyed. "Of course I did, but Master Clumsy here completely knocked me over when he tried to get up."

"I said I was sorry…" Lee muttered sullenly.

"And by the time I got my bearings again, he was gone. Out that way, I think."

Naruto knelt down by the paint splash. TenTen asked, "When was this?"

"A little over half an hour ago. We'd have stayed put if we'd known you were going to be here so fast. The authorities aren't even here yet."

Naruto spoke up. "So, if this paint got all over the floor and Lee, I assume some of it splashed on the thief too, right?"

Ino frowned. "Yeah, now that you mention it. A lot, actually."

Grinning, TenTen said, "Great! Then all we have to do is look for someone covered in blue paint between here and the nearest gate, right?"

"No…" Everyone turned to Naruto. Looking thoughtful, he glanced at TenTen. "…The trade convoys come in today, don't they?"

The girls exchanged puzzled looks. "Yeah, but why does that matter?"

"Everyone in the Village is going to be more alert today. All the shinobi are going to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, especially at the gates." He stood. "A man splashed with paint carrying a single box out would rate pretty high. If he's a ninja, he _could_ use a genjutsu to cover up, but he'd be taking his chances --odds are good he'd run into someone who could detect him." He shook his head. "No, the smartest thing to do would be to clean himself off and hide the ball somewhere until things calm down."

Ino was looking at him like he'd just stripped to his boxers and dashed through town chattering like a monkey (which honestly would have surprised her less).

Ignoring her, Naruto asked a stunned TenTen, "Where's the closest place to wash up?"

She jolted back to reality. "Um… there's a bathhouse a few blocks away."

"Great. We'll check there first." He headed out. "Time to catch a thief and get that ball back! Believe it!"

TenTen shook her head and smiled. All she said was, "Go easy on Lee, all right?" before hurrying to catch up.

Ino, finally recovered from her shock, called after her, "Oh don't worry. I'm just about to go hunt down the Brat Squad, and then my attention will be _divided_."

* * *

On the way to the bathhouse, they finally found blue paint drips leading in its direction. Encouraged by the positive sign, they picked up their pace.

As they went, TenTen shot a glance sideways at the boy. "You know, you really surprised me. That was some impressive analysis back there."

Naruto chuckled. "Kinda out of character for me, isn't it? The Pervy Sage planted the basics, and you can blame my tutors for the rest." Then his expression turned serious. "Some of the lessons were special training, but some were just the advanced Academy courses I never got to take."

They fell silent. TenTen was spared of the need to respond because they had arrived. Naruto took one glance at the picture of the inviting, vivid blue pool over the door before heading in, TenTen right behind.

As they approached the front desk the man behind it said with a twinkle in his eye, "Now then, do I have a fine gentleman and a pretty lady seeking separate baths or a happy young couple seeking one together?"

They froze. Blood drained from his face, Naruto swung his hands wildly. "NO! No! No, no, we're-- --we're not--"

"We're not even here for baths at all!" TenTen shouted angrily, blushing furiously.

The man cocked his head, frowning curiously. "Oh. Well then, how can I help you folks?"

TenTen took a deep breath and said, "We're looking for a thief."

"Someone in dark ninja gear splashed with blue paint," added Naruto, who had likewise regained his composure. "Did he come in here?"

The man's eyebrows shot up. "Ah, our other strange visit this morning. Yes, he spent his whole time in the bath scrubbing away at the paint. He did manage to clean himself, but one of the other guests said he seemed highly vexed that he could not get it out of his clothing." The gleam in his eye hardened. "So he was a thief, was he?"

The two ninja exchanged a glance and a nod. TenTen asked, "How long ago did he leave?"

The clerk sat back and thought for a moment. "Let's see… He arrived roughly half an hour ago, spent about ten minutes in the bath, then scooped up his blue-painted box and left, all in a rush."

Naruto perked up. "Did you see where he went? Do you have any idea where he was going?"

"I can't see far beyond the front windows from my desk here, but I believe I remember seeing him turn right after he left."

"Can you tell us what he looked like?" interjected TenTen.

The man grimaced. "I'm afraid not. He was careful not to look anyone in the eye. At the time I just thought it was because he was in a hurry. Even if he had, I've never been very good with faces. Sorry I can't be of more assistance."

The blond boy smiled. "No problem, that's fine. Thanks for your help."

* * *

A few moments later the two of them were running down the path the clerk had indicated. "We're heading toward the shopping district, aren't we?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah," TenTen confirmed. "We're not far off from the center of the clothing business."

The blond boy smirked. "I figured as much. He couldn't save his clothes so he's just getting new ones." As the first clothing store came into view, he formed a hand sign and suddenly TenTen ran with a dozen Narutos instead of just one. "Spread out," he ordered. "Be on the lookout for blue paint, but it's fair to assume he's already changed by now. We don't know whether he stayed with ninja gear or switched to civilian dress, so we'll just have to check every store until we pick up the trail again."

"Right," TenTen agreed. "Good plan."

The clones leapt onto the rooftops and turned down side streets, fanning out across the area while Naruto and TenTen charged down the lane, each taking one side to investigate by silent agreement.

* * *

Later, the real Naruto was cutting across a rooftop when a blue dumpster caught his eye. More specifically, it was the blue-painted sleeve sticking out of the junk that drew his attention. A smirk sprouted on his face, and he signaled a nearby Shadow Clone to retrieve TenTen before dropping down to street level again.

* * *

"Okay, thanks anyway…" sighed Naruto as he turned to the indicated display. "Yeah, thanks for nothing…" he muttered.

TenTen came jogging in with the duplicate he'd sent. "What's up? What did you find?"

Naruto glanced at her and grimaced. "He came in here and bought an outfit about forty minutes ago. Problem is, the lady behind the counter didn't get a good look at him and she doesn't remember what he took --only that it was something from this rack here. She did notice he still had the box, but that's about it." He shook his head. "I gotta think for a minute. Could you check around a bit? Maybe somebody saw something."

As she complied, Naruto struggled to remember the steps he'd been taught to go through: _Okay, the first thing he'd do is get rid of any identifying marks, and he's done that. Ninja? Not likely, or a pretty clumsy one if he is. Accomplices? Probably not --he's been hauling the box everywhere himself. Can I track his face?_ He scowled._ Apparently not. Do I know what he's wearing? _He growled to himself._ Of course not. Can he get away?_ He bit his lip._ …No, the gates are still too hot, and the sentries on the wall are alert. He can't hide the mirror ball on his person, but he can't carry it around either --he has to know he's being chased. He's gotta stash it someplace. Where? The closest warehouse? Too obvious. An alley? Not secure. A store? A bush?_

As he thought, Naruto's eyes were scanning the display in front of him. He had a faint niggling notion that something was missing, and when he finally focused on it, realization hit him: _There's a shirt of every color here except blue!_

Suddenly he felt an image arrive in his mind, a vision a Shadow Clone had seen and dissipated itself to send him: A young man who looked like Kiba hurrying away down the street. Naruto frowned. Why was he seeing this? The image started to pan away but did a double-take. After staring a moment longer, Naruto's eyebrows shot up;

Kiba was walking down the street, _entirely uninjured?_ After being trapped in a room with a drunken and enraged Lee?

Naruto donned a predatory grin when he noticed the cerulean shirt trailing out beneath the imposter's jacket. He snapped out of his reverie just as TenTen approached and started to shake her head.

"Never mind," he said quickly. "Let's move!"

* * *

As they ran down the street 'Kiba' had been taking, Naruto explained what he'd seen.

TenTen frowned. "I don't get it, why would Kiba be injured?"

The blond boy stumbled a bit. He gave a weak laugh and tried to hide his sudden nervousness. "Ah… ha… well, we all got a little beat up with Lee, right? Bumps and bruises on everyone, but not on Kiba? I mean come on, he…" At the dubious look he was getting, he added quickly, "Besides, Akamaru was nowhere to be seen!"

TenTen's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, I see! Kiba never goes anywhere without Akamaru! You must be right, he's a fake!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto realized they were just about to pass the Help Center. As it came into view, he saw Tanbe out front, speaking to--

"Neji!" TenTen dashed up to her fiancé, who greeted her with a kiss. "Did you find anything?"

The Hyuuga looked grim. "I managed to get a description of the thief's appearance. I took that description to the groups in most contact with the populace, but…" He glanced at Tanbe, who regretfully shook her head. "…no one seems to have seen him."

"That's not going to help you," said Naruto. Neji looked at him curiously, but he turned to the volunteer. "Tanbe, has Kiba been by here?"

"Yes, actually," said Tanbe, sounding surprised. "He dropped off a big box and requested a delivery."

Neji's chin came up. "Ah, I see. In disguise, is he?" TenTen gave him a brief nod.

"Do you still have that box?" pressed Naruto.

"No, I'm afraid not. Choji took it out with several other requests earlier."

"Where'd he deliver it?"

Tanbe grimaced and shook her head again. "Sorry. I never saw the request slip, and Choji won't be back for a while yet." She thought for a moment, then added, "I… _think_ I remember hearing him mention… oh, what was it now… either the Leaf Public Gymnasium or the Hayate Training Hall --I think. I'm not sure of that, though."

The three ninja looked at each other. "Neither of those is too far away," TenTen pointed out.

"And either would be a good place to hide the mirror ball," said Naruto.

Neji nodded. "Agreed. I'll check the training hall…"

"…And we'll take the gym," finished TenTen.

"Thanks for your help, Tanbe," said Naruto. "We'll let you get back to work now."

She gave him a small smile and nod, then turned to head into the Center. The ninja moved to leave, but Naruto noticed that the sign in the window had been redone --in _blue_-- and hesitated. He overheard someone inside saying, "Hey, Tanbe! Look at this: three dozen cans of blue paint going to the Academy." He paused and turned to listen.

"I believe it," came the reply. "I heard they're repainting one of their storerooms, and restocking the rest of it."

The gears in Naruto's head whirred for a couple of seconds. "Hey, TenTen," he called, "can you check the gym by yourself? Call it a hunch…"

* * *

As he approached, Naruto heard some sort of commotion from inside. Suddenly a window opened and a young boy came leaping out of the classroom. Since he was preoccupied giving a raspberry over his shoulder as he ran, he didn't see Naruto, who took the opportunity to snag him by the shoulder.

"Hey now, what's the hurry?" the tall blond laughed.

The boy struggled until he saw who it was who'd caught him. Then his eyes shot open wide, his jaw dropped, and he spoke in an awed whisper. "You're… you're…"

Naruto grinned. "I know school is a pain, but if you're going to be a ninja you've got to stick it out."

A familiar face appeared at the window. "GET BACK HE--oh! Naruto!"

"And I know Iruka-sensei can get kinda… _tense_," continued Naruto with a wink, "but he's actually a pretty cool guy if you give him the chance. Believe it."

The kid nodded wordlessly and Naruto nudged him back the way he came. Still throwing glances back at the older shinobi, the boy shuffled over to the window and mumbled an apology to his teacher.

Iruka donned a tired smile. "It's all right, don't worry about it. Just get back to your seat. On the double!" Both men saw the grin on the kid's face as he jumped to comply. "Now, what brings you here, Naruto?" He grinned. "Just visiting your favorite instructor?"

The younger man laughed. "Yeah, something like that." He sobered. "Actually, I'm on the trail of a thief." Iruka's eyebrows rose. "I think he might have stashed his loot here --where's the storeroom that's going to be painted?"

"Oh! Uh, second floor, west wing, room twenty-four."

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei." When he saw the faces begin to crowd around in the window, Naruto grinned and added, "You're the best!"

* * *

Naruto was just reaching for the door to room twenty-four when someone called his name. He turned. "TenTen? You're done with the gym already?"

The brunette jogged up to him and nodded. "Yeah, it turned out to be a bust. Are you having any luck here?"

"I'm just about to…" She brushed some hair back with one hand and his voice trailed off. He frowned, but before he could comment the door opened. Naruto turned his frown on the figure standing there. "Shikamaru? What are you doing here?"

The lazy ninja sighed. "I work here, idiot."

"Part-time," Naruto supplied. "And you're off duty for the Trial by Leaves."

The other boy shrugged. "What can I say? I felt like coming in anyway. I had an errand to the storeroom. I'm done with it. _If you don't mind_, I'd like to lock up and get going now."

Naruto scoffed. "Well _we're_ on a mission!"

TenTen piped up. "We're trying to catch a thief!"

The blond frowned at her. "He knows that. You told him this morning."

"Oh! Uh, right," she said, flustered. "Guess I forgot."

"Yeah well he's not here!" said Shikamaru, closing the door.

Naruto grabbed his shoulder. "Hold it! _He_ may not be, but I think he may have hidden the mirror ball in there. Let me look around once first."

Shikamaru heaved another sigh and practically threw the door back open. Naruto shot him a look as all three stepped inside. The room wasn't very extensive; it didn't take long to determine the box they were looking for was not there.

"There," the lazy ninja said irritably. "Happy now?"

"Come on, cool it off a bit Shikamaru," cautioned TenTen.

Naruto was inclined to echo that sentiment. He gave Shikamaru a close look and saw something he hadn't noticed before; right there, on his left earring, was that…?

"Hey Shikamaru," he said innocently, "what'd you think of that riddle I told you this morning?"

"Great. Perfect," the other boy replied. "Now-- --Hey!" Naruto grabbed him by his jacket and slammed him up against the wall.

"Naruto!" cried TenTen in alarm. "What are you doing?!"

"My riddle this morning was terrible and you know it!" the blond said calmly. His blue eyes hardened and the corner of his mouth quirked upward. "At least, you would if you were Shikamaru…"

A slow, sly smile grew on the imposter's face. "…How'd you know?"

"Blue, blue, blue. It's been everywhere today, starting with the spill at the warehouse. You scrubbed for a long time at that bathhouse, but you didn't get everything." He nodded toward the incriminating spot. Then he smirked and jerked his head at the other ninja in the room. "And she's right --you're **way** too grumpy to be Shikamaru."

Then he turned a wry look on the girl behind him. "But then, you're not who you say you are either." Two Shadow Clones stepped through the door behind her and seized her arms.

"Wha--?! Naruto! It's me, TenTen!"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Where's Neji's ring?" She froze, then glanced down at her hand; it was indeed bare. "The _real_ TenTen is newly engaged. She'd never take off her ring, you faker!" He glanced between his two captives. "Now, which of you wants to tell me where the mirror ball is?"

The two imposters looked at each other, smiled, and nodded. ?Shikamaru? cleared his throat and said, "The mirror ball was never stolen. Thanks for helping me look for it all day, though." In a puff of smoke, the imposter reverted to…TenTen? "And it's really me this time," she added, displaying the ring on her finger as proof.

"Wha…?" Baffled, Naruto shot a glance at the other TenTen, only to see Ino standing between his two very confused clones. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Ino flashed him a smug look then ignored him, saying to TenTen, "All right, I helped you with your test, now you have to come to mine tomorrow!"

"Don't worry, I will."

With that, Ino yanked her arms free and departed. Naruto turned back to TenTen, and when he saw her turning crimson he realized he still had hold of her by her shirt. "Oh!" He jerked his hands free and hid them behind his back, stumbling back a few steps. "S-sorry! Sorry sorry sorry…" he sputtered, blushing a little himself. Eyes hopeful, he asked, "…Don't tell Neji?"

Her color returning to normal, TenTen laughed and gave him a wink. "My lips are sealed."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, then donned his puzzled look again. "So, what did she mean by 'test'?"

"Just what it sounds like." TenTen continued speaking as they exited the storeroom. "There never was a real thief, but you showed impressive sleuthing skills tracking down our supposed criminal. I'm pleased to say you pass the Test of Observation."

Naruto was silent for three heartbeats. A grin sprouted on his face. Then he took off running up the wall across the ceiling and down the other, pumping his fist and cheering in victory. TenTen laughed at his antics, and even Neji smirked as he approached. He threw an arm around his fiancé's waist. "Ino told me he'd found you out. Apparently we didn't need the next bit after all."

"Nope," she said cheerfully. Naruto paused and watched them. She gave Neji a peck. "But thanks for setting it up anyway. Lunch?"

He chuckled. "As you wish."

They started to leave, but Naruto called after them. "Hey guys! Wait up a sec." They turned back and were surprised to see their hyper friend wearing a serious expression. He bit his lip and thought hard for a moment.

"Yes? What is it, Naruto?" prompted Neji.

The blond boy met his gaze and said, "Actually, I've got a question I want to ask you."

Another Naruto stepped around from behind the first and said, "And one for you too, TenTen."

The first Naruto glanced between them. "Could each of you talk to one of me alone for a minute?"

* * *

Strolling along the yards, TenTen wasn't sure she'd heard him right. "What?"

His face still red, Naruto heaved an exasperated sigh. "I said, how did you know Neji was… was 'The One'?"

She eyed him closely. He refused to meet her look, rigidly trying to look like he'd asked nothing more significant than the time of day. Was he thinking about what she thought he was? "Why do you ask?"

He shook his head vigorously. "N-no reason in particular…" he said, throwing nervous glances at her.

TenTen grinned. _He totally is!_

He saw her expression and scowled. "What?"

Rolling her eyes away innocently, she said, "Nothing, nothing! Anyway, to answer your question…" As she thought, her grin condensed to a content smile and her gaze drifted away. "Well, it's a lot of things. There's a tremendous sense of familiarity, for one. He knows me better than anyone else; he knows my fears and how to comfort them; he knows my joys and he likes to share them. I can feel that he understands me completely and accepts me totally, flaws and all." She heaved a dreamy sigh. "…As for me, whenever my mind wanders it always winds up on him. Whenever he's not around I find myself wondering what he's doing, and when he is I wonder what I can do to help him or make him happy." She added softly, "What I can do to repay him for all he's done for me."

TenTen shook herself out of her daydream and turned to Naruto, who hung rapt on her every word. "I guess it all boils down to this: I know in my heart that he gives me something --a lot of something-- that I can't get from anywhere else, and that I'm _giddy_ that I can do the same for him."

Naruto nodded slowly, silent for a long moment. Finally he said, "…Yeah… that makes a lot of sense. Thanks, TenTen."

"Anytime."

He retreated to his thoughts, took two steps away and --_Poof!_-- disappeared.

Blinking against the Shadow Clone smoke, TenTen grinned. _Oh, just wait until Ino and Sakura hear about this!_

* * *

The two shinobi men stood on the Academy's roof watching the kids playing below, the clouds drifting by overhead, and the trees stirring all around.

"Congrats on your engagement, by the way."

"Thank you."

Silence.

"…So…what made you decide to go through with it?"

"What?"

"What convinced you to, y'know, propose?"

"I proposed because I love her, Naruto."

"Right, right, I know, but how did you know you were… _ready_, I guess?"

"Ah…" A pause. "I suppose it's simplest to say that you _can't_ know. As shinobi we mature quickly. We become what most consider 'responsible adults' at an early age. Yet, when considering a decision such as this, one we must live with the rest of our lives, it is perfectly understandable to feel hesitation. I am confident I know what is expected of me --what my responsibilities, my strengths and my failings are-- as a Leaf Ninja and as a member of the Hyuuga branch family. But as a husband? A father?"

"…Yeah…"

"…But then I consider the alternative. I care for TenTen more than my own life. I am certain she feels the same. If I wait for my doubts to clear away on their own accord I will wait forever, and I will deny us both the happiness we would have enjoyed together. The only choice I have is to _walk past_ my fears. They may follow me --I may look back and see them every now and then-- but if I watch my step and keep moving forward, I will forget them and they will wander away."

"Hm. The Second said that."

"You _did_ learn some history, then."

"Heh. Yeah, despite myself. Thanks for the advice, Neji. See ya later."

_Poof!_

"…Cousin, I believe your day just might be coming."

* * *

If there was one thing TenTen had learned about Naruto, it was to expect to be surprised. You could put any sort of plan together, make any sort of consideration or agreement; Naruto would find some way to do something unexpected. If you were doing a simple escort for a merchant caravan, he'd probably stumble upon some murderous plot against them. If he went missing during a dangerous assignment, you were equally likely to find him beating his way out of the enemy stronghold as to catch him napping in the nearest ramen shop. If you needed a hand with something or even if you were just having a bad day, turn around --odds were good Naruto would be there to help.

To TenTen, who wanted to become the quintessential role model for all budding kunoichi, Naruto was an excellent example: you could never count him out, because when the chips were down he always found a way to come through. She'd come to expect it of him, and strangely enough of herself as well.

So the next time Naruto befriended a hideous monster or made a hardened assassin cry, she'd shake her head in wonder, but then she'd shrug and roll with it --that was Naruto. (The Fox had been the biggest surprise of all, of course, but she'd accepted the revelation and moved on fairly quickly --that was Naruto too.)

"…and that about sums it up," TenTen finished. "We had planned to take all day on it, but he kept jumping ahead of schedule so much we wound up scrambling to keep up."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Just like any other mission with him."

The kunoichi smiled. "That logic about the trade convoys was something we didn't think of, and we certainly didn't count on him catching our fake TenTen."

The lazy boy nodded. "Apparently those lessons of his really paid off. This one's really going to be a bright spot on the report --we thought he'd do well, but he really blew past our expectations."

TenTen shrugged. "Yeah. But that's Naruto."

* * *

Something wasn't right, and Hinata was dreading what it might be.

This morning, Sakura had shown up at her door and offered to take her shopping, explaining that Naruto was going to be doing a Trial all over town and they needed to stay out of the way. Later in the day Ino had tracked them down to inform them he had passed, and she hinted that the Hyuuga girl might be seeing him soon.

Hinata had eagerly gone home to wait for him. Two hours later, she had begun to seriously worry, but then she'd seen his blond head turn in at the gate and her doubts had been banished.

As time passed, however, her fears returned and compounded. They went to her favorite restaurant again, but he was silent for much of the meal. He responded when she spoke, he smiled and laughed, but she could tell it was forced: he seemed distant, lost in his thoughts, and she could read on his face that something was troubling him.

Hinata felt despair creeping at the edge of her heart, because she knew he was coming to the conclusion she'd reached the day before: it couldn't last. Naruto was finally coming to his senses; he'd end it soon and move on.

She didn't know how she would survive when the moment came, but she was determined to enjoy her taste of heaven for as long as she could.

* * *

Naruto had never been so paralyzed by indecision in his life.

On the one hand, her presence had become addicting, her smile and her laughter intoxicating. He felt something that told him he would do anything to please her, and he knew what that something was. TenTen's description had made it all too clear: he loved Hinata. **Loved** her. And ever since he'd been beaten over the head and made to see, her feelings for _him_ had been obvious. Everything he'd heard, seen, and felt made him sure the step he was considering was the right thing --the only thing that made sense-- for both of them.

On the other hand, what if he was wrong? He was nineteen! How did he know what he felt was real, not some passing fling like the crush he'd had on Sakura? _You __**can't**__ know. _What if he wasn't ready for the responsibility? If he failed, he'd cause them both a lot of grief it would be too late to ever escape. The prospect of hurting Hinata froze him in place even as the thought of making her happy beckoned him forward. _Walk past my fears._

Naruto reached into his pocket and fingered the purchase he'd spent two hours deciding to buy. He didn't have a role model for this --only a legend to live up to. _Dad, is this what you felt with my mother? Show me what to do!_

* * *

(End)

* * *

Now, I didn't intentionally plan it this way beforehand, but I've since decided to roll with it: if you notice, the first half of the Trials have largely focused on how Naruto has developed as a fighter --tactical sense, physical prowess, jutsu arsenal, etc. For the most part, then, this latter half is going to display how Naruto has grown in character. He's going to start seeming a bit more intelligent, collected and sensible, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to keep it believable without straying from his core character --in other words, within the scope of 'just growing up.' Use this chapter as an example and tell me if you think I'm doing a good job of keeping Naruto --and everyone, actually-- within character.

Second point: if you noticed, I tried a little experiment with that conversation between Neji and Naruto at the end. I painted the setting, but then completely omitted any detail of facial expression, body language, or vocal tone, leaving all of that to your imagination. See, I've noticed that I tend to be over-controlling with that type of description --in my irrational desire to avoid being misunderstood I tend to leave little freedom of interpretation. I hoped that if I could do the exact opposite and still manage to get the point across, it might help me improve. (Shrugs) We'll see. Tell me what you think.

Anyhoo, until next time! Later!

-ArcTheJedi


	9. Ino

Hey folks! I'm back again, finally. I didn't manage to get two updates in the _same_ month, but this one came within a month's time from the last one, which is just as good, right? ...Heh. Well anyway, several of you mentioned how evil the cliffhanger was that I left you on last chapter. Looking back at it now, I suppose it really kinda was, but I can honestly say it didn't occur to me that it was that bad at the time. Sooooo... sorry about the evil cliffy, I promise I won't do it again... (coughcoughoftencough)...

Okay, next point! Wingless-Crying-Angel brought something to my attention about the last chapter that I realized I never really fully explained: the color blue being everywhere had absolutely **no** more significance than just being something every important scene had in common. The idea was to develop pattern recognition; if Naruto could find one common factor at each step of the crime --and it wouldn't always have to be something as obvious as a color-- he could then look for that same factor elsewhere to lead him in the right direction. In other words, he noticed there was blue at every step, so he instinctively followed conspicuous blue things to important clues and eventually the culprit. If you'd already realized this, kudos to you, and if you hadn't, well now you know. Either way, I meant to explain all that mid-chapter and forgot, so thanks for pointing it out, WCA!

Since I can't write back to anonymous reviews, I'll just thank you here:  
-Lenquo-- If you thought that was cute, wait'll you see this one... ;P  
-WOO!-- Thanks, I appreciate the compliments. :) I didn't wind up using the Null-Details style again this time around, but hopefully it helped me a bit in that regard.  
-Anonymous-- Yes! That's **two** that read the disclaimers! :P In all seriousness, though, I cannot express how awesome it is to know I'm a bookmark somewhere. And that's a good point you raise; it hadn't occurred to me that details are even easier to imagine when I'm writing characters that are already established. I'll try to keep that in mind from now on.

Now then, without further ado... --No, wait, there's still one more thing:

**Disclaimer: "Hey, everybody! Disclaimer Me here to say I'm back! Guess what?" (deep breath) "I own Naruto and the villain of the next story is--" (ducks)  
The Copyright Ninjas come swooping in flying tackles, but they collide headlong into the Anti-Spoiler Ninjas, who are also trying to flying-tackle, and both groups knock each other out.  
"Heh heh heh..."**

* * *

Naruto heaved a tired sigh as he plopped down on the stool, his forehead slumping to the counter. It wasn't entirely fatigue that made him droop; he then raised his head high enough to slam it down against the wood again. _Thud!_

Shikamaru paused slurping his noodles long enough to arch an eyebrow. Curious, he said nothing and waited. Sure enough… _Thud! …Thud! …Thud!_

"Hey, cut that out Naruto! You're going to wreck my counter with that hard head of yours!" warned Teuchi. The light amusement in his voice kept it from being an insult.

The blond sighed again and settled his chin on the spot his forehead had battered. "Right, sure, sorry…" he said gloomily. "Triple order of the regular, please."

The ramen cook's eyebrows rose at his favorite customer's tone. He moved to comply with the request, but he exchanged a glance with Shikamaru and gestured for him to say something. The lazy ninja shrugged and finally slurped up his mouthful. "Stressful morning?" he asked casually.

Naruto considered firing back a sharp retort, but he couldn't muster the willpower. "You don't know the half of it…" he grumbled instead. He was aware he'd worried Hinata at dinner the evening before, but he hadn't had the clarity of mind to set her doubts straight. Not while he had his own to deal with; he'd promptly gone home and spent most of the night in a restless struggle with the ghosts of fear in his head. Naruto knew it was stupid to let Second-Guessing and Self-Doubt stand in his way, and he was convinced he ought to do as Neji suggested and shoulder his way past them --giving them a shot to the teeth as he went. If they felt like following, they could eat his dust.

Great in theory. Problem was, he was having trouble convincing himself there really wasn't a bottomless cliff on the far side of them.

After an hours-long slugging match that felt like shadow boxing yet still somehow left him feeling battered and beaten, Naruto had decided his side of the battle needed more of an edge --Neji's words were a great start, but they weren't enough. So, he'd gotten up early and gone looking for credible sources of counsel. Unfortunately, he was coming up short in that regard; his first thought had been to look for Sakura, but he couldn't find her anywhere; every fiber of his being violently rejected the idea of asking Sai; a little past dawn he'd stumbled upon Kakashi-sensei running for his life from an enraged Anko brandishing an all-too-familiar little book and decided he might not be the best person to ask for romantic advice either; as the sun climbed in the sky he considered bouncing everything off Konohamaru and the rest of his squad, but then he remembered the last time they'd gotten involved in one of his personal problems and shuddered.

And topping it all off of course was the unwelcome news he had received from Ino in the midst of his wandering: he was to show up at the address she gave him in his finest outfit to take part in a formal dinner for Ino's Test of Etiquette. She was picking _now_, the moment of greatest distraction with a ­life-altering decision, to drill him on _manners_, which all of his tutors had agreed was his absolute worst subject. Figures.

Naruto was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Shikamaru saying something about Hinata. "Huh? What was that?" he asked quickly.

The lazy ninja looked smug. "I asked if you were thinking about a certain shy Hyuuga, but I think I have my answer. Bet I know why you've lost sleep, too."

Naruto sighed. Well, he _had_ been looking for advice. "Mm… I dunno, what do you think?" Shikamaru gave him a frank look that broadcast the words 'you have to ask?' The blond issued an irritated snort. "Yeah, you're right, I must be getting desperate. When are _you_ going to follow Temari's advice, huh?"

The other ninja barked a laugh as his smirk grew and his eyes narrowed. "Touché. All right wise guy, Choji asked me to meet him somewhere so let's hear today's brilliant guess and be done with it."

Naruto took a note of satisfaction that the lazy bum had dodged the question. He sat up straighter and cleared his throat. "Friends. Comrades, at least in the Leaf Village, will never let you down. Maybe they can't help with every little problem--" He paused, then accelerated past it. "--but when it really counts I know they'll always come through."

Regret passed over Shikamaru's face at the next words he'd have to say. "I'd have thought that whole thing with Sasuke would have convinced you otherwise…"

A blanket of uncomfortable silence descended, chilling the atmosphere. Naruto visibly crumpled under a shroud of dark memories. His friend respectfully didn't intrude for several heartbeats. Just when he was about to say something, Ayame plopped three steaming bowls of ramen down in front of the knucklehead. "Order's up!" she called cheerfully. Naruto stirred and thanked her, sitting up again.

Shikamaru smiled and stood. "Better get going…" He paused when the blond didn't reach for the bowls. "You going to eat those, or just stare at them all day?"

"Just waiting for company." He glanced over his shoulder. "Speaking of, there he is."

* * *

"…and that's about it, Iruka-sensei." Naruto's first teacher sat on his customary stool and stared at his favorite student with a mixture of wonder and pride. When he did not speak, Naruto pensively continued. "I mean, love **is** there, I know it is, I just… I don't know if it's the right time to act on it, I guess." Talking with Iruka always invoked a certain peace of mind in the young man; feelings that were tough to sort out and tougher to share always seemed to find their way into words much easier around his old sensei.

A smile crept onto Iruka's face. "…You know, every time we meet like this you always amaze me with how much you've grown and matured, Naruto. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the time is coming when you have no need of my advice any more."

The younger man frowned. "Don't say stuff like that, Iruka-sensei! I'll always want your advice."

The smile grew into a grin. "Ha! Don't worry, I don't intend to stop giving it. I'm sure I'll have plenty of earfuls for your kids, too!"

Naruto's cheeks flushed. "Iruka-sensei!" he scolded reproachfully.

Iruka raised a hand in surrender. "Alright, I'm sorry," he chuckled. Then his face settled into serious lines, though his smile remained. "I may not have experienced the feelings you describe --at least not yet, anyway!-- but from the sound of things they seem to be the real deal. Given that, I can only say the tragedy will be if you _don't_ choose to act on them."

"But--!"

Iruka cut him off. "But you're worried about the responsibility. Maybe you're not sure what all it takes to care for a family. Either way, you're not sure you measure up." Naruto nodded glumly. The older man's expression hardened. "You're right to be concerned. Getting married does add a lot of responsibility to your life, just like becoming Hokage will, or even like becoming a ninja in the first place did all those years ago." Iruka's smile returned. "But if you look at it from that perspective, you'll see you've really got nothing to worry about."

Naruto frowned; that had all made sense right up until that last bit. "Huh? You lost me."

"Naruto, months ago you were told you weren't equal to the task of becoming Hokage, that you had a lot yet to learn before you were ready." The teacher looked at him expectantly. "What did you do when you heard that?"

The younger ninja blinked. "I buckled down and learned."

Iruka nodded agreeably. "You did. As your history tutor, I think you learned more in these last few months than you ever did at the Academy. You really put your all into it. Why?"

"Because I said I would. I promised a lot of people I'd be Hokage, and I never go back on my word. Believe it."

"And why do you want to become Hokage?"

Naruto's frown deepened. _You should know that already, sensei._ "To protect the Village. To show everyone how much I care."

A spark entered Iruka's eyes. "Exactly. And why do you work so hard to become a better shinobi? Is it just so you can become Hokage sooner?"

_Where are you going with this?_ "No, I also want to protect my friends. I want to be stronger so I can help the people precious to me."

The teacher leaned back with a look of satisfaction. "So you push yourself to learn about the Hokage's responsibilities because you care about the Village, and you work tirelessly to overcome your flaws and weaknesses because you care about your friends." He winked at the younger man. "And you yourself told me you've come to care about Hinata more than any other person in the world."

Realization detonated in Naruto like a paper bomb between his ears. "You're right…" he breathed. He perked up as if inflating, growing a smile to match. "…You're right!! Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" He shot to his feet, giddy excitement pulsing from his eyes. "I'm gonna ask her! I'm gonna ask her tonight, after--" He remembered where he was going that night, and his face went slack and his tone died. "After I make a fool of myself."

* * *

"He's late!" fumed Ino. "That is _such_ a bad start!"

"I know it's not his strong suit," sighed Sakura, "but even he should know it's rude to keep ladies waiting." TenTen voiced an agreement, as did several others. Hinata just sat quietly and worried.

The door chime grabbed their attention. The bored irritation that had dominated the atmosphere was instantly replaced by eager excitement as Ino quickly directed everyone to their places. Fighting an impish grin herself, the blond waved down a few twittering giggles and led the group in assuming very proper postures and dignified expressions.

* * *

Being so thoroughly schooled in formality, Hinata's stance perfected itself without thought, but she was unable share in her friends' devious energy, instead nervously following their ringleader to the front hall with her eyes. How would Naruto react to all of this? She'd been unwilling --unable, really-- to force herself to comply with Ino's request for her attire, but now she wondered if she shouldn't have tried harder to force herself. The last thing she wanted at this point of their fragile relationship was to be lost in the crowd, but how could she possibly warrant his attention here?

* * *

Ino carefully donned an imperious look as she opened the door. Naruto stood facing off to the right on the far side, again resplendent in his regal shogun robes. The corner of her mouth tugged into a smirk when he turned and saw her outfit; the look on his face even as it turned red was priceless. "Good evening, Mister Uzumaki," she clipped. "I am Ino Yamanaka, and I will be your hostess tonight."

He jolted. "Uh, r-right, I am Naruto Uzumaki, and it is my pleasure to, u-um, dine with you." He gave a hasty, abbreviated bow.

Ino was impressed; he remembered the proper greeting-response, even if the words painfully sounded rehearsed and the bow had been awkward. "If you would follow, please, I will introduce you to the other prominent guests."

She turned and barely caught a muttered comment that sounded like, "…may need that rescue after all…"

As they walked back down the hall, Ino watched him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he conspicuously forced himself to avoid looking at her, instead studying the floor, the walls, and his own feet. She allowed herself a sly smile well hidden from his view. That was the better of the two expected male reactions, but that little defense mechanism wouldn't help him long.

They came out into the dining room. Naruto's blood apparently couldn't decide whether to drain from his face or rush to it.

* * *

Ino had to be enjoying this. He knew Pervy Sage would practically die of excitement, but Naruto fought his racing pulse and uncomfortable-ness to the extreme. In the middle of the room was a long narrow table covered by an embroidered silk tablecloth and festooned with ornate candlesticks, more than one scented candle, and beautiful bouquets of flowers and other decorative-looking plants. All of this, however, was expected and not what drew immediate attention. There were approximately twenty people in the room, presumably all other guests and most of whom he recognized, pretending to be engrossed in conversation, but he knew they had to be watching him.

All of them were women. But that wasn't even the worst of it.

His hostess first 'introduced' him to Sakura Haruno, whose scooping neckline made him wince. Naruto had never known Sakura to believe in showing cleavage before, but he couldn't tell it now. TenTen was seated on a couch in such a way as to proudly show off long, bare, very shapely legs. He could have mentioned it was discourteous to remain seated during introductions, but he didn't want to know what would happen if she got an excuse to stand. Outfits did not get much worse as they went --none could top Ino's, which Naruto refused to believe could be considered formal wear-- but the sheer quantity was beginning to overwhelm; as his control stretched thin his voice grew strained and his speech began to border on incoherent.

So… much… skin… _Grah!_ He screamed in his mind. _Stop it! These are your friends! You are _**not**_ like Pervy Sage, you are _**not**_ like Pervy Sage! Think of… think of Hinata! Yeah, that's it, think of--_

"And this is Hinata Hyuuga, heiress of her clan, one of…" The rest of the words faded out of reception as he spun around. He looked before he could stop himself --and breathed a sigh of relief; like a breath of fresh air, ever-timid Hinata was dressed as conservatively as always --ironically in the same matching outfit to his from the other night.

Looking extremely self-conscious, she took a step forward and gave a formal bow. "A p-pleasure to m-m-meet you, M-mister Uzumaki."

Naruto almost laughed. Well, as long as they were making fresh first-impressions, he wanted to make it a good one. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, "Pleasure's all mine, Lady Hinata." He returned the bow, but before straightening he seized her hand and kissed it, setting off a cascade of whispers around the room. He smiled at the wave of goosebumps he felt under his lips, and knew even before looking up that she'd turned that adorable shade of pink.

When he pulled himself upright they shared eye contact and emotions for a long moment, but before either could say anything further, Ino cleared her throat and signaled for everyone's attention. "Now that we are all here and acquainted--" She turned to a still-speechless Hinata and raised an eyebrow. "--some better than others-- we can now be seated and prepare for the meal." Matching action to words, she strode over to the table and sat in the second chair from the end on one of the long sides of the table. She then gestured expectantly at Naruto to be seated next.

He hesitated, realizing both that his choice was part of the test and that Ino's selection was odd. The host or hostess usually sat in the center of one side or on the end, didn't they? Or did they? What was he supposed to do if they didn't? He tried to remember his lessons…

And failed. He blanched. Etiquette had always been the topic he had the most tenuous grasp on. The tricks and tips he had learned floated at the edge of memory, where the chaos of his thoughts and the massive surge of testosterone put them hopelessly out of reach.

In other words, he was in deep donkey dung.

Aware that all eyes were on him, Naruto's face grew hot again as his eyes darted around frantically for something --anything-- to spark a memory.

Suddenly an idea did come to him. He turned to Hinata and instantly felt himself calm a bit again. He still couldn't remember the proper thing to do, but he knew what would get him through the night alive and sane. Still holding her hand, he tugged her with him toward the table. Almost stumbling in her surprise, she hurried to follow him.

Ignoring the fresh wave of giddy twitters and whispers, Naruto gestured for her to choose first. When she hesitantly moved to the seat next to Ino on the inside, he got her chair for her and then hurried around to sit directly opposite her, in the third chair from the end.

He glanced at Ino to see an unreadable expression on her face. The hostess stared at him for a moment longer, but then said nothing and signaled to the other ladies behind him. Sakura came and sat on his right, TenTen on the left, and the remaining guests filled in the rest.

And the real torture began.

* * *

Servers who wore what could best be described as 'minimal' outfits brought beverages out --an exotic fruit juice, they were told. Naruto, feeling terribly parched, eagerly took a drink.

"Now, before we start the meal, we must have a toast for the evening."

Cup still to his lips, Naruto froze. His eyes traced from Hinata to Ino, from blush to cool, expectant gaze. Deciding he would get in more trouble by spitting his mouthful back out, he swallowed carefully and sheepishly raised his cup.

"To, uh, world peace and, um, Village p-prosperity and… stuff…" he sputtered.

The ladies raised their glasses to a general murmur of agreement. He swore they all leaned toward him as they took their drinks; his eyes shot back to Hinata and he breathed another grateful sigh.

Thank goodness the woman it was safe to look at was also the one he wanted to see most anyway.

* * *

The salad he'd been given looked appetizing enough. Now, if he could only figure out which of the _five_ forks in front of him was the right one to use…

Naruto looked up. Hinata was watching him, though she tried not to show it. He glanced back down and reached for one of the utensils, but paused when he glimpsed her cheeks turning red. As he pulled his hand back, her color returned to normal. Then she flushed again when he reached for the next fork.

When he finally brushed the one that failed to make her blush, he grinned and grabbed it decisively.

* * *

As they waited for the next course, Naruto knew he shouldn't just keep staring at Hinata. While they were eating he got away with mostly focusing on his plate and only shooting glances at the people he was speaking with, but between times his eyes had to go somewhere.

He was perpetually in a conversation with Ino about random things like politics and economics, but he avoided looking her way as much as possible. He exchanged comments with other guests as well, but they didn't play fair when he tried to look at them. Sakura and TenTen, for example, had scooted much too close for comfort. Whenever he turned to Sakura she'd do something like lean forward over her plate and turn toward him, exploiting her neckline. TenTen would usually shift around, especially crossing and uncrossing her legs, and more than once she 'accidentally' nudged him with a foot.

Naruto kept returning to Hinata, but he tried not to stare for too long --he didn't want to be rude to her either. He also felt a bit guilty that he hadn't spoken much to Hinata herself, but he figured the conversation they'd have afterward would make up for it.

So, he spent as much time as he could being polite and fighting to maintain eye contact elsewhere, but like a ship out in a stormy sea his eyes kept returning to safe haven.

* * *

Part of Hinata was ecstatic about the special treatment she was getting from Naruto. There was the Gentleman's Kiss at their meeting, and then he'd seated her before himself --the guest of honor!-- and he'd even gotten her chair for her. When he'd chosen to sit opposite herself, it was a great honor for _her_, but he'd slighted the hostess and come off extremely rude. She knew she shouldn't be glad that he made such a mistake that would cost him, but she just couldn't help but be happy that he'd done it for her.

Even so, another side of her --the logical side that had already determined she was not good enough for him-- tried to explain away the things he did. Yes, he was looking at her more than any other girl, but she couldn't help but notice his gaze never stayed long --not that she could blame him. He hadn't spoken to her since greeting her. Given that she already knew their relationship had to end in tragedy, it was all too easy for her brain to say he was only being nice out of pity or mercy. From there it was a simple task to see what had to be coming soon.

Even though her heart didn't want to believe it.

* * *

It didn't take Naruto long to figure out it hadn't been a good idea to take the steak that had been cooked longest. He realized this when his knife made an audible _clink!_ when it touched the meat. Well, nothing he could do but try to make it work --it had been his own choice and he figured he probably couldn't complain.

As he struggled to make any sort of mark on the _very_ well-done beef, he heard someone call his name and say something, but focused as he was he didn't hear what they were saying.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I agree…" he said distractedly. At the fringes of vision, Hinata turned a deep crimson, prompting him to look up and around. Utter silence had fallen, and most of the other ladies were looking at him with a mix of horror and disgust.

_Oh, crud… _he thought tiredly. _What did I say now?_

* * *

When desserts were being brought out, Naruto scooted his chair backward without thinking and accidentally bumped one of the servers. As she stumbled the saucers in her hands became unbalanced. Thinking quickly, he created Shadow Clones to catch her and her tumbling treats. Fortunately, they succeeded. Unfortunately, they also managed to bump into another server who fell into another, toppling most of them in a chain reaction. More Shadow Clones appeared to grab more falling ladies and flying food.

Amazingly, they managed to catch everyone and everything. But then one of the Narutos lost his footing, bumped into the table and pitched forward. The pastries he had been holding plopped top-first onto Hinata's and Ino's plates.

Naruto looked up from the table at them. Hinata was fighting both a blush and a fit of giggles, but Ino did _not_ look amused. He donned a weak smile. "A-heh. Anyone for upside-down cake?"

* * *

Ino remembered one time when she'd been feeling irritable --the mission she was on had been long and frustrating-- she'd started picking at Choji about his weight and relative intelligence. She hadn't meant any of it --she just had to vent some steam. Choji had known that, so he'd stood silently and taken it, but then Naruto had come hotly to his defense. Angry at his interference, Ino tore into him instead. They'd gotten into quite the yelling match before she crossed a line; she'd found out about the Fox a few days before and still hadn't decided what to think about it, but in her anger she shot out several vicious comments about it.

That had shut him up. It had also made him collapse into himself and wander away, a look of pain haunting his features. She instantly regretted her words when she saw the effect they'd had on him, but the hard-eyed cold shoulder Shikamaru and Choji gave her flared up her stubborn pride and she refused to apologize.

The next day they'd gotten into a fight with enemy ninja. They weren't a tough group, but her teammates still weren't speaking to her and Ino was distracted. She'd let her guard down and made what should have been a terrible mistake.

Naruto took the three shuriken meant for her to his own back.

She remembered asking him in shock why he'd done it, when she had been so cruel to him. She never forgot his response: _"Because even when you get on my nerves, you're still a friend. I swore to protect you and everyone else in the Village, so that's what I'm going to do. Believe it!"_

Looking back, Ino realized that Naruto was always doing things like that; he was constantly throwing himself in the way of danger, covering people with his own body, in short always putting everyone's safety above his own. Sure, he had a temper and he could bandy insults like the rest of them, but he never swung a fist without a very good reason.

Ino had decided that day both that the Fox was in the right place and that she would follow a leader like that.

She brought herself back to the present as the last of the dishes were being cleared away. Even so, it didn't change the fact that Naruto had a penchant for being a rude, offensive, insensitive oaf. If he was going to be that leader, he would have to learn better manners; if he acted the way he had tonight with anyone who didn't directly know him, he would be more than likely to get himself and anyone affiliated with him into a lot of trouble --something she also knew from past experience.

* * *

Naruto watched in growing unease as Ino tapped her glass to get everyone's attention. She stood and began, "Since the meal is complete, the evening is now over and it is time for the decision. Let me first thank you all for your willingness to participate in--"

Unable to fight his sense of apprehension any longer, he cleared his throat and motioned toward the hostess. "Um, actually," he stammered, "I know this is kind of strange, but, uh… I'd like to say something, if… if I could…"

Ino quirked an eyebrow at him, but gave him a curt nod and sat down again. As he pulled himself slowly to his feet, he glanced around the room and made eye contact with everyone present. Fighting the fire in his cheeks, he said, "Look, I'm not the best at making speeches, so I'll just keep it simple: I'm sorry. Courtesy and proper formality doesn't come easy to me. It's not an excuse, but I've also been kinda distracted lately with a certain…" He hesitated and glanced at Hinata. "…_issue_." He saw her cringe for some reason and he frowned but pressed on. "Anyway, I know I probably messed up you ladies' dinner. I thought I probably would beforehand, so I prepared something as kind of an apology."

He created a Shadow Clone and sent it to the door, and a couple moments later it came back with carrying a large open box between itself and Moegi, who was practically beaming. A shower of gasps and other sounds of wonder went up when the ladies at the table saw that the box was full of flowers. Naruto crossed to it and pulled out one of the bouquets. "I don't know much about the language of flower arrangement, so I had Moegi help me say exactly what I meant to." The girl in question grinned proudly as the murmurs at the table grew louder in excitement.

The teen, her sensei and his duplicate quickly distributed the bouquets. Most of them conveyed simple, generic messages of contrition; these were given to the ladies he hadn't been told by name were going to be there. Sakura's, however, featured an orange bud curled around a pure pink cherry blossom, their stems bound together by a loose red band: _Caring, unbroken affection from one who is like a sibling._ In TenTen's arrangement, a beautiful white lotus towered over several small, plain flowers bent in reverence toward it: _Awed admiration for one of noble character._ Ino tenderly accepted a bouquet in which a simple orange poppy sat opposite a brilliant yellow tulip surrounded by lilies in full bloom: _Modest humility in the presence of rare beauty._

All the ladies seemed genuinely pleased and touched by his efforts for them, but Hinata's, which Naruto had carefully hidden and saved for last, stole all attention when he presented it to her. Hers was the largest bouquet of all, crowded with countless gorgeous lilacs, but what made her pale eyes widen, her hands fly to her mouth and her breath draw in and catch was what she saw in the center: a single vivid red rose just about to bloom, sunk in a cloud of Baby's Breath and wreathed in shining gold ribbon.

_Amidst a crowd of all that could be fair, one shy but radiant love stands out._

* * *

Hinata lost her voice and all sense of her surroundings as she pondered Naruto's message to her. Her mind worked furiously to find some hidden meaning or misunderstanding, but her heart already cheered in victory.

* * *

Ino waved down the riot of gossip and gush and gave Naruto an amused glance. "Thank you for that touching display," she began, "but it does not change the fact that your behavior tonight has been atrocious. You began the evening on a bad impression when you arrived late --with no apology, I might add. You showed favoritism for one guest over the others --and myself-- and continued to show it throughout the dinner. In fact, it's clear you leaned on Hinata as a crutch to cover lapses in knowledge you should have had." Naruto winced at each point as the list went on. "You insulted your hostess when you were seated; regardless of my unorthodox choice you should have followed suit and sat directly opposite. You were not observant of your fellow diners; when Kaya displayed discomfort during the third course you failed to show any concern. You also failed to show any interest in your conversations; several times you lost track of them entirely. You were clumsy in both speech and action."

Ino's tone grew stern. "Worst of all, except for Hinata you could not look at any of us directly for long without letting your eyes roam in a most inappropriate way." Her expression softened. "I realize we made it difficult. Our outfits and mannerisms _were_ exaggerated, but not by a great deal. These sorts of distractions could and do happen in polite society, especially at informal events like this one. Ladies will wear revealing clothes, and some women will outright flirt with you --even married ones. You need to know how to deal with that, or you could easily cause a misunderstanding that could topple into something horrible."

When Naruto gave a slow, glum nod of understanding, the blond woman smiled. "All that said, you did much better than you could have. You're right, etiquette doesn't come naturally to you, but you do an admirable job compensating for the lack. Lady Tsunade has Lady Shizune to assist her after all, so maybe it's fine that you have Hinata. Especially if…" She winked at him, and he blushed. Most of the other ladies donned knowing smiles. "And as for the flowers… well, it's a common saying that 'flattery smoothes ruffled feathers', and a sincere apology can overcome any grievance. If not for that, you would have failed. But, because of your careful consideration and thoughtfulness, I find I've changed my mind: you pass the Test of Etiquette."

As his famous grin grew on his face, Ino inclined her head toward one certain individual. "Now get going. I'm sure you two have a very important conversation to get to."

Still grinning --and blushing from various catcalls-- Naruto walked around the table to Hinata. The raven-haired woman, still completely absorbed in her all-important rose, absently let herself be tugged out of her chair. As they headed out, she remembered both to grab her bouquet in her free hand and the crucial practice of respiration.

* * *

Moments after the couple left, Konohamaru came crashing through the door. "Okay, Boss! I'm here for that rescue you… ordered…" His voice trailed off as the room's remaining occupants all turned toward him. The image before him proved to be too much for his teenage mind; his face flushed a red so bright steam seemed to ripple off it; he stumbled back awkwardly on wobbling feet; nonsense babbled forth out of his mouth like the drool on his lip.

Moegi, mortified to the extreme, let out an indignant "Hmph!" She stomped over to him, seized his ear, and fiercely dragged his brainless body back out of the room, leaving a crowd bursting into laughter in their wake.

* * *

"Hinata… I've been thinking. About us." She froze to a chill colder than the ice cream in her bowl; the nightmare she'd had that morning of the breakup that would break her had started with those precise words. Her fears were revived in an instant even as her heart clung to the signs it had been given.

* * *

Naruto threw a worried look over at her. She hadn't said a word since dinner, and she hadn't touched her ice cream. He'd taken her constant staring at the rose as a good thing, but now she'd tensed up like that…

He bit his lip and continued. "This last month --this last week or two especially-- have meant the world to me. I've literally been having the time of my life being with you like this. But now…"

Good grief, now she looked like she was about to cry! What was he doing wrong? "Look, I'm just saying I think I'm ready for the next step…"

* * *

_And I think it's time I moved on._ Those were the words that would come next. Her lip quivered as she fought back the tears. The rose wasn't meant to be her; he'd already found his true love elsewhere and he was just breaking it to her gently. Why had she possibly hoped--

"…but only if it's with you."

She blinked. Wait, what? That wasn't right. Now was supposed to be where she made a final desperate plea to convince him to stay with her. Had they skipped that part? She looked at him and tried to match the words he was saying to the words that were playing from her nightmare.

They weren't the same. Her heart let out the breath it had held and did a little flip. _They weren't the same._ No, he was saying something about how he'd been stupid to let his fears stop him –Naruto had fears?—and how he'd make mistakes but he'd learn how to be better --how could he possibly get better yet?-- and how if there really was a cliff they'd just learn how to fly --she already knew how, they just had to touch-- and how he really thought they were meant to be together, like they were made for each other.

The world screeched to a halt as that last sentence replayed in her mind again. And then again, and again. That had been _her_ thought, the truth _she_ knew. He had always been her Mister Perfect. When had she become his Missus Per--

**--**_**His Missus.**_ Oh dear sweet miracle.

When time began moving forward again, she saw that he'd placed a small box on the counter. Ever so slowly, she reached a trembling hand forward and opened it.

Inside was a ring. She'd known what the box was, but still it was surreal. Even without her Byakugan she'd memorized every detail of the little metal band the moment she saw it. It was a gold ring that was thicker on one side where a long oval of silver had been engraved with calligraphy for the words _love_,_ fidelity_,_ devotion_, and _eternal_. In the midst of the symbols, right in the center of the oval, an off-white pearl and a shining sapphire had been inlaid together.

Could this truly be meant for her? She turned trembling eyes back to him, her whole body quivering in anticipation of four little words.

* * *

He kept his eyes rooted on the counter in front of him to help his nerves. He wasn't sure what part of his speech had undone whatever damage he'd caused, but he'd heard her open the ring, and she hadn't pushed it away or gotten up to leave. That was good, right?

"S-so," he stammered, "I… I guess it all comes down to this: I love you, Hinata. More than anyone or anything else. And I would be the happiest guy in the world if you would… I mean, if I could… I mean, if we…" He worked his jaw for a second, then forced a shaky wind out of his lungs.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up toward her face and said, "Hinata Hyuuga, will you marry m--_AH!_--mmph!"

Before he knew it, Naruto had flown three feet backwards off his stool and smacked his head against the ground. As he blinked against the possible mild concussion and tried to figure out what had happened, he realized that he couldn't move.

He couldn't move, because another body was piled on top of his. An arm was wrapped around his neck as firmly as a steel beam, yet it still somehow felt as soft as a pillow. A foreign set of lips were smashed against his own. He felt something pressing against his chest that resembled, as near as he could tell, another arm clutching a small box. Raven-colored hair hung like a veil around his head. He felt something radiating heat across his face; he shifted a hand free and reached it up to press against a very warm forehead.

"Hinata?" he whispered. No response; she'd fainted. He chuckled. _Talk about a knockout kiss…_ He shifted their bodies slightly so that her cheek rested on his chest.

Kissing the top of her head, he thought to himself, _Y'know, I think I can take that as a 'yes.'_

* * *

(End)

* * *

Okay, first of all let me say that everything I did with the language of flower arrangement was entirely **made up**. I tried to find how that works, but I couldn't find anything --especially relating to the Naruto world-- so I figured I could create my own. If you know the language and you know I botched something up, please tell me.

Second point: I am 99.999 percent certain this is as far as my writing will ever go in the area of sensual/sexual detail, and if I ever do top myself it will not be by much. Yes, I could probably go farther, I am old enough and mature enough for it, but I choose not to. Just getting that out there.

Finally, The Big One. I realize Naruto's and Hinata's relationship might be moving a little too fast for some, but I decided to push for the engagement this quickly anyway primarily because it just has to get done. See, the thing is --and I've told a few of you this already-- believe it or not Trial by Leaves was never originally meant to be a story on its own. My goal was to set up several important plotpoints and background details for my first real story, Full Circle. At first I planned to do so by writing a series of oneshot scenes --which would have made My One and Only Star and Years of Blindness the first two of the group. I decided against that approach both because I wanted a definite starting and ending point for my setup and because I was eager to put something up that would be more than one chapter so I could start acquiring regular readers. Once I'd lumped all of my plans together, the idea came to me about doing things one-on-one between Naruto and the other characters so I could show how his relationships had developed, and Trial by Leaves as you know it was born, killing two or three birds with one stone, so to speak.  
So. The point is, while the Trials themselves are important, (especially ones like Choji's) remember that the little sidetracks that don't seem to have anything to do with them might also be just as crucial to the future. Naruto's and Hinata's engagement, Sasuke's absence and his fate, and Jiraiya's conversation with Tsunade, for example, **all** would have been their own oneshots.

Speaking of Sasuke, we've finally hit his first mention mid-chapter by name! :P  
For everyone who has been wondering, don't worry, your patience is about to pay off: Sasuke's fate will be revealed next chapter.

Oh, and just because Naruto and Hinata are engaged, don't assume it'll just be left at that --I've got my complications planned. Will they endure? I guess you'll see...

Later! ;P

ArcTheJedi


	10. Shino

Well I'm finally back, and man, is it ever like a breath of fresh air! I'm sorry I keep doing this to you all (that I keep taking so long to update) but school has just been dumping the workload on me --I have very time-intensive classes this semester. It's frustrating to me, because I can't ignore my homework, but my homework leaves me little time to work on this; for any sort of regular update that means I have to write a lot faster, but I can't force myself to do that without dropping the quality of what I write!

(Sigh)

Oh well, that's enough of that. If you haven't noticed, I've reworked the story description for Trial by Leaves. If you have noticed, or don't care, on to the chapter! Sasuke's fate revealed, and another mystery or two introduced...

**Disclaimer: .oturaN nwo t'nod I dna ,haey hO .emit eht ekat ot derehtob uoy yhw derednow dna daeh ym dehctarcs I , siht daer ot uoy koot ti emit eht nI**

* * *

"…_Ra-SEN-gan!!"_

No… not this dream again…

_Itachi's eyes maintained their detached indifference as his now-lifeless body spun away into the shadows, shattering a column as it went. Naruto let himself bend and pant ragged breaths for a moment, but then the ground began to shake. Glancing upward, he saw the ceiling begin to crack and crumble._

_"The place is coming down!" yelled Kakashi-sensei. A crashing pillar punctuated his words. "Get everyone out of here!"_

"_Shino, Sai, help me keep the way clear!" Yamato ordered. From the sound, he was already deflecting rubble with his trees._

_Kurenai's voice came next. "Kiba, take Sakura out on Akamaru! Mind her leg, but hurry!"_

_Naruto turned toward where the others were herding toward the exit and took a couple running steps. He leapt to the side to avoid a hail of debris and stumbled a bit; Kakashi threw him a look but the blond shook his head. He was going to start forward again when Sakura twisted atop Akamaru in the doorway. Naruto saw her eyes look past him and widen, and a chill washed over him. As he spun he glimpsed Shino forcing Hinata toward safety._

"_N-Naruto!"_

"_Naruto!"_

He's still in there again…… still… there…

_He didn't respond to either girl as he rushed back into the destruction. "Sasuke!" His one-time friend had collapsed to his knees, face toward his brother's final resting place and back to Naruto. The blond flinched away from a huge piece of collapsing stone and blinked against the dust that followed it, trying to thread his way through the bodies and rubble toward the Uchiha. "Sasuke, we gotta get out of here!" No response. A dozen more steps and--_

_A large section of the ceiling came down right in his path. When he could see again, Naruto's gut froze colder still; he was entirely blocked off. He could barely see between two strained beams in the pile that the other boy still had not moved. "Sasuke! What's wrong with you? Snap out of it!" He tore into the pile, ignoring the agony in his exhausted muscles as he clawed debris away. "Come on! Move, darn you! MOVE!"_

Wake up!… I know how this ends… I've got to… wake……

_He saw a chunk clip the other boy in the head; Sasuke still did not react, but it turned his face enough that Naruto could see the emptiness of the expression there. Fighting panic, he gathered chakra for a Rasengan, but someone grabbed his arm. He turned._

"_Don't," Kakashi-sensei said, sounding pained. "You'll bring it all down on both of you."_

_Naruto couldn't wrap his mind around the resignation in his teacher's voice. "But… but…"_

Why…? Why do I have to see this again…?

_The tremors grew worse. Naruto felt himself being pulled away, but his eyes stayed rooted on his friend. "Sasuke!" A deafening roar; the rest of the ceiling seemed to fall all at once. "Sasuke!!"_

_Something struck the Uchiha. Naruto couldn't see him anymore._

_"SASUKE!!"_

* * *

Naruto shot upright amid sheets horribly twisted in a mangled heap. Sweat sprayed from his face and his breathing was ragged, but he noted that his throat was not raw; that was good, that meant he'd managed not to scream along with his dream this time.

Dream? More accurately his persistent nightmare. He put his hands to his face and massaged his forehead, waiting for the adrenaline to wear off. Sasuke's death had plagued him for a long time, as he lived through it again and again in his sleep. But over time his guilt and anguish had faded, and more and more of his nights passed peacefully --nowadays his memory of the event hardly ever resurfaced. What had summoned it this time? Was it Shikamaru's comment the day before, or…

Naruto glanced at his calendar in the dim moonlight and grimaced. Wonderful. It had snuck up on him again.

His next look was at his clock: seven minutes past midnight. He sighed and slumped back against his pillow, half-heartedly gathering his sheets as he tried to reclaim some rest.

* * *

"So I guess you want some kind of congratulations, huh?" grumbled Shikamaru without preamble. "Well, thanks to you, Ino's become even more troublesome. It's not even been two days yet and she's already making my life one big drag with her not-so-subtle hints."

Naruto laughed as he sat down. "Yeah, I'll bet, but if you're looking for an apology you're not getting one either," he said cheerfully. He glanced down at the simple band on his finger and smiled. "Because this is one decision I don't think I'll ever regret."

Shikamaru just shrugged. They both placed ramen orders, and Naruto turned to the other man thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, why haven't you gone ahead with it yet? I mean, I know why I hesitated, but it doesn't seem like those problems would bother you."

The lazy ninja chuckled. "No, you're right; I'm not worried about becoming an honest man. Been in my simple life plan all along, actually. Thought at first I'd find someone a little less keyed up than Ino, but love's a drag like that." He sighed. "It's just that I know Ino well enough to know that my life is going to be one long headache from the words 'will you?' to 'I do.'"

Naruto frowned. "Even to _me_ that sounds over-dramatic."

Shikamaru just stared at him, lids low and face expressionless.

The blond tried again. "I mean, it couldn't really be _that_ bad."

More staring.

He made an exasperated noise. "Look, don't you think you're exaggerating at all?"

The lazy man held his stare for two beats more and then simply said, "It's Ino."

Naruto started to reply, caught himself, and thought about it a moment. Eventually he nodded and settled back, conceding the point.

Shikamaru chuckled with chagrin. "Most of the time she tolerates me and I tolerate her, but when she sets her mind on planning something --a party, a reception, whatever-- she just gets obsessive about having everything exact and exactly her way. Problem is, that always means a load of work for me and relentless hounding to get it all done. Putting that dance together for the other night was one huge drag. Planning her own _wedding_? Take that drag, magnify it, and spread it out over several months."

The other man snorted. "So? You're a ninja. Dodge out of it, like the Old Lady does to Shizune."

A sigh. "She knows me too well. And she's started to fight dirty."

Ramen bowls plopped down in front of them. Naruto chewed his noodles along with his friend's words. "Well…" he began slowly, "…what if you thought of it like one of those strategy games you like to play? Like, she moves, you dodge, she blocks, you counter sort of thing?" He shrugged. "Or even cut off the game before it starts, like I dunno, elope or something."

Shikamaru shot him a sidelong glance with a raised eyebrow. He munched on his pork a second or two longer, and the corner of his mouth quirked upward. "…Yeah, maybe. Anyway, we've been off the point long enough. Have you thought of anything for the riddle yet? …Never mind, the look on your face says it all."

"Shut up," grumped Naruto with a scowl and a growl. "I've had a lot of other things on my mind, alright?" He fell silent a moment. "Besides, I've got something: good ninja tools. You can always count on a well-built shuriken or kunai."

"What if the other guy dodges or deflects it?"

"Well yeah, anyone can dodge a kunai" protested Naruto, "but you don't have to count on them to hit --they make good distractions."

"Sounds like a strategy," observed Shikamaru. "And you already know strategies can backfire."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak and caught himself. Seeing that he wasn't going to win the argument, he just turned back to his bowl.

"Wise decision."

--And jerked only _halfway_ out of his seat. Composing himself, he glared at the bug master sitting next to him. "Shino! Where did you come from?"

"You're tense today," the man noted simply.

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, I… had kind of a bad night."

"I thought you would." Ignoring the blond's curious look, Shino continued, "I will test you today, but I still have preparations to make. Meet me at the Hokage's Tower inside the front doors in thirty minutes for instructions." And with that he stood and departed.

Blinking away his confusion, Naruto turned to the other ninja. "What was that about? What's his Trial?"

But Shikamaru just shrugged. "Why would I know?"

At that moment a shout rang out. "Shikamaru!" They turned to see an eager-looking Ino approaching, carrying what appeared to be a fruit basket, a picture book, and a pair of plush dolls.

The lazy ninja heaved a tired sigh. "Here goes Game One today…" Weaving a set of hand signs, he melded into the shadows beside the stall. Her expression turning shocked and offended, Ino picked up speed.

Naruto snorted. "Good luck."

"Thanks." The words came floating back. "You too."

* * *

Twenty-four minutes later, Naruto strode through the front door of Hokage Tower. Seeing no sign of Shino, he shrugged and headed toward the waiting benches. He was still a few minutes early, and Shino was usually pretty precise about that sort of thing.

Before he sat down, however, he heard a tremendous _thump_ from above, and animated voices echoed down through the front desk's talking tube. The secretary at the desk just rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but Naruto was curious, and he jogged past her and up the stairs.

The sounds turned out to be coming from the Old Lady's office. Inside, he found Shizune extricating herself from a pile of books and papers and at least three cubic meters of… confetti? As he hurried over he heard her growling, "…all the childish and irresponsible --at her age too!" She heaved a sigh as the blond man helped her up. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Hey, Shizune," he greeted. "What happened here?"

She scowled in annoyance. "Oh, just another of Lady Tsunade's tricks to dodge work again, getting more and more ridiculous all the time." She gestured toward the office's desk, which Naruto saw was, as usual, stacked high with papers --and vacant. "I can't believe that even after all these years she's still shirking her responsibilities like this." Her voice grew in volume and frustration. "And once again she's picked the worst possible time for one of her stunts! We still haven't finished reviewing the manifests for the trade convoys, the financial reports are backing up, we need to be preparing for the Academy's Genin Exams, and then of course there's Jiraiya's report, and--"

Naruto perked up. "Huh? What about the Pervy Sage?"

Shizune's rant cut off as she hesitated. "…Nothing, just some routine information," she said evasively. She shook her head and started picking books up off the floor. "The point is, we have so much work to do, and she's gone off again, which means I have to track her down again, and the whole time we're falling further behind, and… and… Ugh!" She let out an exasperated breath and put her free hand to her face and wearily rubbed her temples.

Naruto, who had been helping clean off the floor, studied her carefully. She looked stiff, and her eyes seemed a little red. "Hey, Shizune… are you alright? You don't look like you're feeling well."

The Hokage's assistant managed a faint smile. "Thanks for your concern Naruto, but I'm fine. Just a bit tired, that's all; we were up early to prepare for the trade convoys' arrival and it's been all a rush since."

Blond eyebrows went up. "Wait, you've been up working nonstop for two days straight?"

"It's just part of the job, Naruto. We lose a lot of sleep getting everything done around here." A half-yawn turned into another sigh. "Of course, Lady Tsunade always seems to find some way to reclaim it --either that or she skips out on work entirely, despite what I keep telling her."

The young man bit his lip for a moment. "Um… I don't know if you're gonna like hearing this, but I think the Old Lady might have the smarter plan here."

Shizune looked at him like he'd just turned into Jiraiya and made one of the man's patented 'comments'. "Excuse me?!"

He grimaced. "Well, you know what they say about 'all work and no play'--"

"Naruto, Lady Tsunade is the _Hokage!_ She is the single most crucial person in the system! Countless people and decisions are waiting on the work she _should_ be doing here!"

Naruto raised his hands in a calming gesture. "I know, I know, but just hear me out, okay?" After a moment she crossed her arms and settled into an expectant pose. Naruto gathered his thoughts and continued. "Look, Kakashi-sensei once told our squad, 'it's okay to work hard or long, but not both.' He said that if you wear yourself out and then force yourself to continue anyway, you're putting a strain on your body that it doesn't have a chance to heal. You can hurt yourself pretty bad that way, _and_ you're so exhausted you're completely useless if something big comes up." He paused a moment, and nodded. "And come to think of it, even back in the Academy I remember Iruka-sensei encouraging us to take breaks from studying to just relax for a bit --especially if we'd been going at it for a while or had some tough project ahead. He said coming back to work refreshed would help us focus."

Shizune shifted her weight. She didn't say anything, but she seemed to be mulling over his words. He blew out a long breath. "Granny knows as well as we do how big a responsibility it is being Hokage, and she knows a lot better than me how important all this stuff is. So I guess what I'm saying is, maybe this once you should trust her to come back on her own and take the time for a break yourself."

The Hokage's assistant was silent a moment longer, before shaking her head slowly. "You've grown up a little more every time I see you, Naruto."

He grinned. "Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot lately."

Returning his smirk, she continued, "This isn't the first time I've heard this lecture, but it's never sounded convincing from Lady Tsunade or those Nara men." She sighed. "But if even someone who works as hard as you do is telling me to slow down, I guess I ought to consider it." He gave her a suspicious look, prompting a snorted laugh. "Don't worry, I'm going to take a nap right now, okay? Not like I'd have any luck finding Lady Tsunade for a couple hours anyway…" she added under her breath.

Naruto seemed placated, but he didn't turn away until she sat in one of the large cushy chairs that had been dragged in against the wall. Still smiling, he headed out the door, giving a simple wave over his shoulder. "Later, Shizune!"

"Goodbye… Naruto…" she mumbled back, idly amazed at how quickly fatigue had caught up with her. As the retreating white coat rounded the corner she had time for one last thought before nodding off. _Just like him…_

* * *

As Naruto reemerged from the stairwell, he saw that the time was now five minutes past the hour. When a look around revealed no bug masters, he grimaced and turned to the secretary.

"Hey, has Shino Aburame been through here?" he inquired.

She looked surprised. "Yes, actually. He came in about five minutes ago, dropped off a note, and left again. I assume it's for you then?"

He nodded and took the paper she handed him.

'_Since you failed to keep our appointment I have gone on ahead. Retrieve your instructions from the Leaf Village Help Center instead. Don't be late.'_

Lots of people would be shocked that the Aburame held such a strict timeframe, he knew, but Naruto just shook his head ruefully, thanked the secretary, and headed out; Shino was usually pretty precise about that sort of thing.

* * *

Naruto had a cheerful greeting on his lips as he stepped through the door, but he had second thoughts when a string of subdued invectives floated past his ears. Surveying the room, his eye caught one of the other workers, glancing up at him from well out of the way in the back corner of the room. He followed her concerned gaze to…

"Tanbe?" The brunette was fiercely jabbing a stamp against a series of papers, carelessly flinging them away as she muttered angrily to herself. When she didn't respond, he stepped closer and repeated her name.

Her face jerked upward. Their eyes met only briefly, and for a moment he perceived a melting pot of emotions in her expression; he could identify surprise, confusion, frustration, pain… She turned away quickly. "Oh, hi, Naruto." Her tone added sadness to the list, faint though it was. She went back to work stamping, much more sedately than before.

Naruto waited, but she said nothing more. He cleared his throat. "Tanbe? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said automatically. He struggled to find a tactful way to refute that obvious lie, but then she sighed and set down her stamp. "Everything…" she said wearily. "Everything that matters." Then, in a spasm of sudden energy, she shot to her feet and flung her stamp against the wall with all her might. "And it's all stupid Choji's stupid fault!!" she screamed, dropping back into her chair and fuming.

Naruto was so startled he couldn't speak for a moment, as he tried to make sense of the abnormal behavior. "Uh, what about Choji?" he began apprehensively. He looked around. "Where is he?"

The other worker --Kaya, was it?-- spoke up from the corner. "He took several requests and went out on a round already."

Tanbe crossed her arms on the desktop and settled her chin down atop them. "I just asked him a question," she murmured glumly. "Just a simple question."

Naruto frowned. "What, you mean like a volunteer request?"

"He didn't even let me finish," she complained bitterly. "He cut me off and said we'd 'talk about it later'. Then he just turned and left."

Now he was even more confused. "Wha…? You're right, that doesn't sound like Choji."

"He's not interested. The other night, what he did and the way he talked, I thought… But no, I've been a fool this whole time!" she bit out, and he saw a tear stream down each cheek.

_What on earth was she going to ask him?_ "Well, uh, I don't really know what's going on, but it sounds like he didn't say 'no', right?"

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "Not in so many words, but--"

"Then what makes you say he's not interested? If it's so important, maybe he just wants to have enough time to do it right."

She blinked. "To… do it right?"

Naruto nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, I mean, Choji's not the kind of guy who'd just turn someone down like that. Usually he helps out right away, or he explains why he can't do it yet. The only time I've ever seen different is when he just didn't have the time --he hates to leave stuff half-finished." His head tilted slightly as a new thought occurred to him. "Or maybe he already knew what you were going to ask and he wanted to surprise you." He didn't notice Tanbe perk up at these words. "Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it," he said with a shrug and a smile. "Choji'll never let a friend down." Then a mischievous glint entered his eye. "Especially not you."

Tanbe looked surprised. "M-me?"

"Uh-huh. Yep." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head flippantly and turned away.

"…W-well? What do you mean?"

He glanced back over his shoulder at her innocently. "Hm? Oh, nothing… It's just, he talks about you a lot, you know. And you should see the dumb look on his face when he does!" he laughed.

Like a candle's flame to a paper, a warm smile radiated across Tanbe's face. _Huh,_ thought Naruto. _She looks just like Choji like that. I wonder if…_ He waved his hand in front of her eyes and got no reaction. _…Yep. Just the same._ "Hey. Tanbe. You alright now?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "I think I just might."

Her reaction still seemed a bit excessive to Naruto, especially considering her prior mood, but he just shrugged it off. _She must be having one of those emotional times_. "Okay, well, glad I could help." He cloned himself and the three of him gathered up the scattered papers and the unfortunate stamp. "Now," he cleared his throat, "did Shino Aburame leave a note for me here?"

Kaya, who had returned to the front desk, caught his eye and pointed to the board. He took the beetle-printed slip off and read the address there. He frowned at the odd destination, but he thanked them and headed out. Before he left, he took one last look back at the two ladies, who had promptly forgotten him and started chittering excitedly like a pair of gossips. He shook his head good-naturedly. _Women._

* * *

"O-oh, g-good day, Sakura."

The pink-haired woman's eyebrows rose as she approached. "Hinata? Are you here because of Shino, too?"

The other woman nodded lightly. "H-he said it had something to do with N-naruto's T-trial today."

"I see. Yeah, same with me."

Hinata bit her lip. "I… I-I wonder w-what we'll be d-doing."

Sakura shrugged. "Me too. I guess we'll just find out when the boys get here." Her friend nodded her agreement, and they sat down on the bench Hinata had previously occupied alone.

And waited.

Eventually Sakura coughed lightly. "…So, congratulations on your engagement."

A blush. "O-oh, you h-heard?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly a big secret."

The blush deepened. "O-oh, o-of course not, I-I'm sorry."

She sighed. "No, I'm sorry. That was a rude thing to say."

"N-no, that's a-alright. Th-thank you."

Another silence.

"…So, is something wrong? It's just, you don't seem to be too excited about it."

Hinata looked mortified. "No, no, I am, I am, Sakura, truly! It's amazing-- wonderful-- --more than that, it's perfect, a dream come true! Or--" She hesitated. "O-or at least… a-_almost_ come true…"

Sakura frowned at her friend. "Almost? What do you-- --_Oh._ Do you mean your--"

"Sakura? And-- Hinata!" Naruto's voice rang out clearly, and both women turned to see him approach, his face expressing that he was happy to see them but confused by their presence. Hinata got up and ran to him, and they shared an embrace and a kiss. Then he turned a puzzled look on them both. "What are you two doing here?"

Before either could speak, Shino stepped around the trunk of a nearby tree. "Good, the whole team is here. Follow me and we can begin."

Naruto's brows furrowed further. "Whole team? What…?" But Shino merely strode past him toward the door of the nearby post office. Sakura shrugged and followed. After another baffled moment, Naruto followed suit, his fiancé on his arm.

* * *

As they walked down the halls, Naruto glanced down at Hinata in concern. She seemed more introspective than usual today, and she clutched his arm with a possessiveness she'd never shown before. He'd known since their embrace outside that something was bothering her, but through their glances and return glances it had been communicated that she didn't want to talk about it at the moment.

He looked to his left. Sakura, too, seemed strangely quiet and lost in thought. She kept looking over at the two of them, but she turned away whenever he caught her and would not meet his eye.

So they moved along in silence, until Shino turned them in through a doorway and said, "We're here."

The three of them surveyed the room before them. It was a relatively small space, apparently a sorting room: two bins on a counter, one 'in' and one 'out', a table in the middle of the room, a fair-sized mound of letters on the table and two neat stacks of them in the bins.

"Okay, so what's the deal?" asked Naruto expectantly.

The bug master inclined his head. "You all know that the Day of Flowers is coming in three days." The girls nodded. Naruto almost slapped his forehead but managed to curb his reflex, cover up his dismay and nod sagely instead. Shino continued, "Many people like to send cards to their loved ones for the holiday. Unfortunately, due to a considerable mishap here at the post office, several of the cards have been mismatched to envelops and sealed under the wrong name. Your task for the Trial of Teamwork, then, is to correct this mistake; you will open each envelope and make sure the proper card is inside, then seal it again. You pass when you finish."

Naruto looked suspicious. "That's it?"

Sakura protested. "Wait a minute! You can't really expect us to go through everyone's personal letters like that! That's invasion of privacy!"

"You would prefer that people receive the wrong letters and know their own were delivered to strangers?" countered Shino. Sakura hesitated. "This task would be performed regardless. The only difference is who does it." With that he walked toward the door.

"Wait," called Naruto. "That's really it? What's the catch?"

Shino half-turned. "No jutsu. No clones. You must do everything by hand. Other than that, no, there is no catch." And he was gone.

* * *

Given the nature of the job, it had obviously gotten off to an awkward start. Once the three grew accustomed to their work, however, things had begun to progress more smoothly. They'd open the card and look right at the names, to and from, and then match it to the correct envelope; if there were any hand-written comments they did their best to avoid them, but Naruto figured pre-written text on the cards themselves were fair game. With that distinction made, they actually began to have some fun!

There were the joke cards:

"_Ha!" barked Naruto. "Listen to this one!" Hinata leaned over his shoulder eagerly and Sakura looked at him expectantly from across the table as he read: "'For someone like you, there can be no Substitution Jutsu!'" Hinata broke into a peal of giggles while Sakura groaned and put her hand to her face good-naturedly._

There were the cheesy cards:

_Naruto saw Hinata blush and asked her what was in the card she held. Looking uncomfortable, she offered it to him: "'If your heart is a bulls-eye, I'll be the kunai every time'?" He made a noise of disgust. "Who writes these?"_

_Sakura's eyes narrowed. "That would be funny if I hadn't heard that exact pickup line in practice before."_

_Naruto winced. "There are really guys that…?" Sakura nodded grimly. He turned to Hinata. "You too?" She didn't answer except to blush further and press the tips of her two fingers together._

_The blond man hung his head comically. "I've lost a bit of faith in my gender…"_

_Sakura nodded sagely. "Good thing you've got the better sex around to make up the difference."_

There were the romantic cards:

_Sakura was silent and still for a moment before reading aloud: "'Through all of life's uncertainties, I will remember you; even if everything I know is thrown into question, even if I lose myself in doubt, you will be my guiding light. Through all of life's trials, I will love you; even if the world crumbles around me and shadows surround me, your name will always bring a smile to my lips and joy to my heart.'" Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice began to waver._

_Hinata shivered and leaned against her fiancé, hugging first his arm and then his chest as that arm encircled her back. For his part, Naruto kissed the top of her head and delved in quiet introspection a moment. Then he shook it off and asked for the names on the card. This seemed to wake everyone up and they moved on._

And so things went for an hour or two.

Eventually, though, Naruto began to notice a subtle shift. He saw that every romantic card was inducing not sighs or swoons in his friends but some sort of melancholy, and one that sunk deeper and hung longer every time.

In Hinata it seemed to manifest as a deep sense of unease; she was constantly holding him, touching him as if to confirm he was there, he was real. He embraced her in return, of course, but his touch was ineffective-- he could never seem to comfort whatever was troubling her.

Sakura tried valiantly, but she couldn't manage to hide that she was watching them. Her sadness seemed to grow at the same pace as Hinata's, but Naruto suspected it was for an entirely different reason --one he was pretty sure he knew.

He tried to break up that mood with jokes and wisecracks, but he knew he was the only one doing so anymore, and it was clearly becoming less and less effective all the time.

He decided something needed to be done.

"Hey, Sakura, you don't look too good. Why don't you go get something to drink?"

His teammate looked up from the card that had held her attention. "Hm? Oh." She shook her head. "No, I'm alright. I'd rather just get this done."

But Naruto scowled at her. "Now Sakura, who was it that gave me half-hour long lectures on the importance of staying hydrated? Even if you think you don't need it? Even if you think you're 'almost done'? Even if--"

"Okay, okay," she sighed. "I'll go get something."

Naruto waited until the door closed behind her, then turned to Hinata and said, "Well that was--" He cut himself off with a slap to the forehead. "Oh! I'm such an idiot! I should have asked her to pick up something for you and me!"

She started to protest. "N-no, no, that's--"

"Wait right here, I'll be right back." Naruto insisted. Hinata seemed reluctant to let him go, but eventually she did. He gave her a reassuring smile and trotted out the door.

He caught up with Sakura in the hall around the corner. "Sakura!" she turned as he strode calmly up to her. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

She looked startled for a heartbeat, and then she glanced away. She didn't bother trying to deny it --he'd known her too well for too long. "I…well…"

"It's Sasuke, isn't it?" He said it as gently as he could. Her eyes darted back to him in surprise. He paused a moment, then continued. "I saw my calendar this morning. …It'll be three years exactly tomorrow." Her gaze drifted off and she nodded mournfully. He looked down at the floor and then back over his shoulder. "And I know it can't be easy for you to be here, doing… well… _this_, but I just want to say…" He blew out a long breath as he gathered his thoughts. "Look, I just don't want you to dwell on the pain. Even though we lost him, don't forget all the good times we had with him too. If you get stuck on his memory, get stuck on those."

He finally looked up at her face again, to behold a dumbfounded expression. Not sure what to make of that, he pressed on. "I'll come with you tomorrow, and we'll remember everything together. Okay?"

After a moment, Sakura snapped out of her stupor. "I… of course. Yes, thank you." She smiled gratefully as she said it. He smiled back and turned to go, but she stopped him. "Naruto, really… thanks for coming out here to say that. It… it really means a lot to me."

His smile grew into a grin. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"

* * *

"I-is Sakura a-all right?" asked Hinata as he came to sit down again.

Naruto started to offer a standard answer, but he saw in her eyes that she understood what he had done. "Yeah," he answered more seriously. "Yeah, we got it worked out. It's just, it's that day again tomorrow, and…" He trailed off, but she nodded lightly, indicating he needn't continue.

Grasping at a sudden idea, he said, "Hey, you know you don't need to worry about her, right? Whatever was between Sakura and I, we're just friends. We're a little closer than some because we're teammates, but that's it. I've found my One and Only, and she's right here." He impishly nudged her with his forehead.

Hinata laughed a bit and hugged him. "No, I know, and you're wonderful, and _it's_ wonderful, and, and, _everything_ is wonderful."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Well then, now I'm just wondering what's bothering her so much." She froze at this and bit her lip, but he spoke as though he hadn't seen. "Of course, if she wants to tell me, that's fine…" He paused and looked right at her.

Her voice trembled. "I… …I……"

He picked up again without missing a beat. "…but if she needs more time, that's okay too. I don't really need to know right now anyway." He leaned in close. "Would you like to know why?"

She cocked her head and nodded. Naruto smiled. Gently, he seized her hand and lifted it for inspection. "I chose this specific ring for a reason. Look here." He gestured at the four symbols engraved in the band on her finger. "_Love_: A promise of sincerity, that I mean what I say when I tell you that you are precious and beautiful and everything I could ever want or need. _Fidelity_: A promise that all these feelings of mine are reserved for you and you alone. _Devotion_: Another promise, that I will do everything I can to live for your happiness and match the joy you give to me. _Eternal_: One last promise, that everything I've said will last forever, throughout this life and beyond." His smile had grown into a fool's grin, but he didn't care as he looked back into her pale, bright eyes. "That's four promises, and have you ever known me to go back on a promise?"

Tears streamed freely down Hinata's face, past that same foolish look of happiness. Choked with emotion, she could only shake her head.

He gave one short nod. "Yeah, well, just to be safe, let me add another." Leaning back, he curled his left hand into a fist and, extending the arm fully, pressed it gently against the left side of her chest. "On this, the heart I've come to treasure and the resting place of my own…" He pivoted slightly so that his straight arm pointed out the window behind her. "…I promise the world that nothing it can throw at us will make me feel any different!"

Another trembling hand raised up beside his, clasped overtop his. "…I-I… …I promise the same. A-all of it… the same…"

Naruto turned to her and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. "Then it doesn't matter what it is," he said evenly. "You'll tell me when you're ready, and we'll overcome it together." She nodded and brushed his nose back. They moved to do the same with their lips.

They finally broke apart a handful of seconds before Sakura reentered the room. They looked at her; she glanced between the two of them, smiled, and nodded in understanding. As she set a trio of drinks down, Naruto clapped his hands together. "All right!" he said eagerly. "Let's get this done, shall we?"

* * *

One _kurutsu_ beetle in about every one hundred is spawned with a black coloration instead of the usual brown. For a short period after birth, these black beetles seem to do largely nothing; they follow the rest of the swarm, but they do not participate in foraging, building, or attacking would-be predators. Then, without any physical indication, they begin to function just like their nestmates, looking and acting identically except by color. Many scientists believe these black beetles to be a simple genetic mistake, naturally retarded but otherwise nothing exceptional.

The Aburame clan know better.

The black beetles spend the first stage of their lives aloof because they are _observing_. They learn about their fellows' temperaments and capabilities. Each is responsible for knowing the intricacies and eccentricities of one hundred of their brood. Once they are satisfied that they know their neighbors as well as they know themselves, then they delve into life in the nest. But they are always watching, and subtly manipulating those under their charge; if one _kurutsu_ encounters a problem, the black beetle will have anticipated it and summoned a companion perfectly suited to solve it. In this way, they serve as a network keeping the entire nest fluent, healthy, and efficient through attention to each individual.

So these _aburame_ beetles are for the _kurutsu_, so the Aburame clan are for the Leaf Village.

At first glance, the Aburame do not seem different from any other shinobi clan; they go on missions, they take orders and give them when placed in command, and their children attend the Academy. Secretly, though, no one is more in tune with their comrades' mentalities. An Aburame is aware of the aspirations and the nightmares, the quirks and the pet peeves, the doubts and the convictions of every person with which he or she shares much contact. An Aburame understands that each individual possesses various emotional strengths, and each endures times of stress when such strengths are needed.

Naruto Uzumaki was an interesting case. Shino had known about the Fox almost since meeting the boy. The Aburame clan had not broken the Third's command of silence; Shino had merely figured it out due to his own perception. His clan knew better than most what it had cost the Fourth to act as he did concerning the monster and his son, and because they knew their fellow Villagers they also recognized what burdens the child would be laden with as he grew. They made no attempt to reach out to him because the Aburame believed that each person must grow into his own character free of influence. He would have to reach stable maturity on his own.

The character that boy had built for himself under those burdens, then, was especially interesting to Shino. On the one hand, because he had weathered a great deal of trauma largely by himself, he had grown to be emotionally tough and resilient --he hardly ever faltered or suffered from doubt. On the other hand, because he _did_ have a troubled past, he was sensitive to the problems of others, and it was easy for him to sympathize and encourage.

Naruto and Hinata came walking out of the post office. (Sakura had departed first and likely gone home already to prepare for tomorrow.) When the blond man saw Shino he approached. Hinata began to follow, but Shino motioned her back.

"Well, we're done," said Naruto. His face and his tone suggested he still didn't believe his test had been so simple --correctly, of course.

"Five times," said the bug master.

"Huh?"

"Five times today, you have encountered a friend under stress. You eased each of their troubles, three times without even knowing the real cause behind them. When you are a true leader this will not be enough --treating the symptoms will not cure the illness-- but from what I have seen today you have the potential. Consider your true Trial, the Test of Empathy, passed."

Something flickered in the other man's eyes. He smiled, but then gave the bug master a curious look. "You've been watching me this whole day?" When Shino did not respond, he pressed a different question. "And what do you mean, three real causes I don't know? Which three?"

"It is not my place to say." Naruto grimaced and glanced over his shoulder at Hinata, who waited patiently several strides away. "However…" He turned back. Shino was silent a moment before continuing. "…One has already been resolved. A second will be put to rest tomorrow. The third… may present you with a choice you don't want to make. Depending on your decision, you may regret what you have said today."

"You just love to talk in riddles, don't you?" questioned Naruto. He fell silent for a moment, sunk in thought. Eventually, he shook his head. "No. I meant every word, and I'll stand by that."

Naruto could not have seen it behind the shades the bug master wore, but Shino's eyes turned toward Hinata. "Then I hope you make the right decision."

* * *

(End)

* * *

Yep. Sasuke's dead.

...But come on, a building collapsing? Kind of a lame way for a ninja to die, isn't it? Especially one like Sasuke. And what's with everything happening three years ago? I seem to recall that time period coming up at least twice before now... ;)

This chapter was evil cliffy central and I know it, but I just couldn't bring myself to resist --it'll really give the final few chapters just that much more of a Bang! I know, I know, shame on me. :P  
If you're just dying to know something, ask me about it. I can drop vague hints, strong hints, or even outright tell you a lot of stuff, your call.

Hm... I thought I had a lot more to put here at the end, but I can't think of any of it right now. (Curse you, late hours) Eh. If I think of something more to say, I'll edit it in.

In any case, I'll do my best to hammer out a chapter within a month from now so I can clear up a couple of these cliffies and I don't leave you hanging too bad for too long. : )

ArcTheJedi


	11. Sakura

I took even more time than usual on this one partially because of holidays and moving back to school, but mostly because I wanted to be very careful to take my time and do it well. Several questions will be answered this chapter; some of you have guessed the answers to some of them, but everyone should still run into a twist or two they aren't expecting.

(Shrugs) Regardless, I hope you all enjoy it!

--Oh, one more thing. I've discovered that I subconsciously procrastinate replying to reviews and messages when I'm in the last two weeks or so of writing a chapter. (I think my brain keeps telling me I could wait until after I update because I'm almost there --it's just that 'almost there' keeps slipping further away.) It's a bad habit and I'm trying to break it, but in the meantime, if I haven't replied to a message for a week or two it probably means an update is in the wings. Just throwing that out there.

Anonymous reviews:

-**CrystalDragon791**: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Yeah, Sasuke and Sakura have it rough, ne? As for Hiashi... well, I don't think the anti-spoiler ninjas will let that one slip past.  
-**JBM**: Actually, the exact rule was that damage could only be done by hand-to-hand fighting --taijutsu. Since Shadow Clones can fight with taijutsu too, they're fair game. I tried to hint that Lee worded his terms that way so he'd have a chance to fight Naruto's clones --and beat them.

**Disclaimer: ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US. But not this show or its characters.**

* * *

"…Ramen?" posed Naruto weakly.

Shikamaru merely quirked an eyebrow before getting up and leaving.

Naruto heaved a sigh. One of these days he'd actually have a good answer prepared in advance for that blasted riddle. "Oh well," he said, trying to reclaim his good cheer. "Ramen's never let _me_ down, anyway!"

Behind the counter, he saw Ayame begin to reply to his sentiment, but then her eyes drifted past him and her expression morphed into one of startled fear. Without thought, Naruto threw himself to the left--

--an instant before the stool he'd been sitting on was reduced to shattered fragments.

Standing at the end of his roll, Naruto saw a spider web of cracks in the pavement spreading out from a figure encased in dark ninja gear. The assailant straightened and turned toward him, and Naruto felt a wave of murderous intent ripple over him. He was about Naruto's own size, perhaps a little smaller, with a lean build. If he wore a headband, it was concealed beneath the veil and hood that shrouded his face.

The blond took in all of this in an instant before his training took over. He couldn't see Ayame at the counter anymore, but he knew he had to get this guy away from civilians. And the quickest way to do that was also Naruto's favorite.

He smirked. "Assassination attempt, huh? I'm flattered." The ninja dashed toward him. Naruto tensed, ready to jump, but kept his tone light and mocking. "People say that's the first sign--" He ducked a punch, danced back from a second. "--of international popularity, after all." The other ninja pressed his attack, keeping his target off balance. Rather than trying to regain the initiative, Naruto focused on evading so he could maneuver their way through the street. "Still," he continued, "I have to say I'm unimpressed." After a couple more near misses he goaded, "I mean come on! No poisons? No secret weapons? You're seriously trying to beat me down with your fists?"

Suddenly Naruto felt a fence at his back unexpectedly. He barely ducked the next punch in time, and the wood behind him exploded into splinters. "Whoa!" He pitched forward, rolling behind the assassin and hopping back to his feet, scowl on his face. "Oh, I get it. Bruiser, huh? In that case…" Naruto glanced around; they'd worked their way into the unused alley around the corner.

The assassin had already turned and lunged. He paused --possibly out of sheer bewilderment-- when a pair of chopsticks bounced off his veiled face. That moment of hesitation was all Naruto needed to sock him across the head. As he reeled from the blow, Naruto created eight Shadow Clones and launched his own offensive.

None of them actually struck, however. He'd knocked the veil off and the hood back with his blow, so each of him stopped when they saw the head of pink hair. Every Naruto stumbled in shock as the assassin righted himself --_her_self.

"Sa--! Sakura?!?" The original sputtered in disbelief. He couldn't react when his teammate and friend screamed in fury and smashed a fist into one of the clones, instantly washing the alley in smoke. "Sakura, what are you doing?!" If she heard him she didn't respond. Another clone exploded, then another. The remainder began to try to dodge, but confusion had slowed their reaction time. "Sakura, calm down!" pleaded the real Naruto, who was handling himself marginally better than his duplicates. "What's wrong? What did I do? What--" He was cut off when the last of his clones plowed into him before dissipating, knocking him off his feet. His head hit the dirt and he winced, and when his eyes opened again he saw an incoming fist. Thinking quickly, he planted his hands above his head and did a quick lateral hop on all fours followed by a back flip out the alley as the ground exploded where he'd lain.

Sakura looked up from her crater as he landed, and Naruto got his first good look at her face. It wasn't uncommon for her to get mad at him, but _this_ was unnatural. Rage twisted her mouth into a snarl, but it was hate that tightened her features --an emotion he could easily identify from practice.

Her eyes though… Her eyes were hard but unfocused, as if staring at something off in the distance. That both relieved and worried him. _She's being controlled --someone's messing with her head!_

"Boss! Hey Boss, you here?" Naruto turned on reflex at Konohamaru's voice. The teen was running down the street past Ichiraku's; he waved when he caught sight of his sensei. "Boss! There-- --_Look out!!_"

Naruto was already twisting to absorb some of the impact when Sakura's gloved fist hit his jawbone. Even minimized that way, the blow still rocked his head around, spun him twice and slammed him into the fence with enough force to crack the boards.

Konohamaru hitched. "HEY!" he yelled. "No one treats the Boss like that!" He sprinted forward, starting into a set of hand signs.

Quick as a flash, Naruto picked himself up, dashed over to Konohamaru and plucked him off the ground. Executing a quick spin, he threw a smoke pellet to the ground back the way he came. When Sakura plowed through the far side of the smoke cloud, the tail of a white coat was disappearing over the wall at the end of the street. She tore after it, punching her way through the wall instead of leaping it.

A moment or two later, a blond head glanced out from behind the ramen stand. Concluding they were safe, Naruto released his hold on the squirming teen. Konohamaru loudly protested the instant his mouth was free. "What's the big idea, Boss? Why are we hiding? We should be fighting that dirtbag --we can take 'em!"

"Maybe, but we don't want to," replied Naruto. He winced at the twinge of pain shooting through his jaw. He felt at the bone and decided it was a small hairline fracture, already beginning to heal. "That was Sakura, under some kind of mind control."

Konohamaru's eyes widened. "What? Really?"

The sound of a distant impact floated through the air followed by a frustrated scream. The taller man winced at the images his dead clone sent back and shook his head. "Where is everybody?" he murmured. "Why hasn't anyone noticed the disturbance?"

"Probably 'cause they're all asleep."

Naruto turned a blank look on Konohamaru. "What."

The younger teen shook his head adamantly. "No, really! It's why I was looking for you! Everyone's out cold in this whole section of the Village --the guards at the gate, civilians in the street, _everybody_."

Naruto muttered a curse. He thought a moment, then said, "All right, Sakura could be back here any second. We need to be outta here."

Konohamaru nodded and they dashed back into the wrecked alley and vaulted the wall at the end. "Where are we going?"

"To find somebody who knows a lot about genjutsu. Snapping Sakura out of it is going to be our best bet to find out more about these guys, whoever they are." He frowned as they darted through a small park, careful to stay close to the trees. "Now, who do we ask? Kurenai-sensei? She's probably across town. Kakashi-sensei?" His frown turned into a scowl. "Who knows. Shikamaru--?"

Konohamaru spoke up. "What about Udon? I was helping him study at the Shinobi Archives about half an hour ago. That's not too far away, and he's probably still there."

"Perfect. Lead the way."

* * *

Naruto happened to glance down a side street as they dashed past and saw something approaching at high speed. He threw himself to the ground, tripping Konohamaru beside him as he fell. Sakura flew fist-first overhead. She landed and spun, but Naruto was already back up. He planted a foot against Konohamaru, who was slower getting up, and gave him a rough shove, using the counterforce to lean away from the first punch. He spun to get his balance back, creating a Shadow Clone as he went to take the next blow. Sakura plowed through the resulting smoke cloud and began a furious assault. Naruto dodged some punches, deflected others, but he was careful not to give or take any attacks directly.

_She's faster than before_, he realized. Suddenly she spun unexpectedly and jabbed her heel into his ribs. He felt his teeth rattle as he slammed into a storefront. _And apparently she's remembered how to kick_, he concluded. He got up and frowned. _…But, wait. She isn't using her super-strength --at least not all of it. What's going on?_

He didn't have time to follow that train of thought. Sakura charged again but Konohamaru plowed into her from the side, sending her sprawling to the ground. The younger teen wove through several hand signs. "_**Ninja Art: Leaf Mael**_whooaaAAAH!!" His voice morphed into a yelp as Naruto seized him by his scarf and flipped away him over his shoulder.

As he sidestepped another attack, Naruto shouted, "I don't want to fight her if we can possibly avoid it!"

Konohamaru, who'd caught himself on a high wall, grimaced and replied, "She's not going to make that easy, Boss."

Sakura lunged at him again with a scream, but Naruto was ready. He whipped off his coat and lashed it around her, blinding her. He took one step past her and yanked hard, using her momentum to spin her like a top. She tumbled to the ground. When she looked up again a dozen Narutos and Konohamarus were scattering in every direction.

* * *

Arms stacked high with books and scrolls, Udon pressed his back against the door, careful not to drop anything. He'd barely gotten the door open, however, when firm grips found his arms and yanked him back into the room, toppling his pile. "Ah! Hey! What--? What--?"

"Shh!" cautioned Konohamaru. He and Naruto set him down behind a desk well back from the window and hunkered down with the pair of clones that had caught everything Udon dropped.

A third clone remained near the window, peering out at the street. After a moment, he relaxed. "All clear. She kept going. She didn't see us."

Udon glanced between all of them, looking puzzled. "Sensei? Konohamaru? What's going on?"

"Someone's after the Boss!" exclaimed his teammate.

"And they're using Sakura to do it," finished Naruto. "We need your help breaking whatever mind control they've got on her."

Udon blinked.

* * *

Once both ninja had explained the situation, Udon had come up with a hunch or two. They'd taken all the materials he'd collected and retreated to a study room further within the Archives, away from windows.

Now they waited as he poured through documents and records to back up his theory, hunched over a table and mumbling to himself. In an effort to distract himself from his worry for Sakura, Naruto had struck up a conversation with Konohamaru. The teen and his squadmates were still genin, though Naruto knew they were all skilled enough to advance. Konohamaru had actually already been offered the chance for promotion but he turned it down because he refused to make chunin at an earlier age than his idol --something that caused Naruto no small amount of pride. Udon and Moegi had followed suit, but the three of them still participated in every Chunin Exam --practice, claimed Konohamaru, for the 'real thing', which by his timetable would be the one next month.

It felt good to get up to speed with them again. Everyone had been surprised when Ebisu himself handed Naruto the transfer slip --said he'd taught the Third's honorable grandson everything he could, and he trusted Naruto to 'cover the rest'. Unfortunately the timing was poor; they'd gone on maybe three missions as a team before Naruto had been pulled from duty for his lessons. Rather than complain about it, his team surprised him by following his lead (in a manner of speaking); between missions the Hokage attached them to they each sought their own lessons from a lot of the same people teaching Naruto.

Udon, for example, had been learning to specialize in genjutsu from people like Kurenai and Shikamaru --which is what brought them here now. Konohamaru had gone straight to Iruka and Kakashi (the Boss's bosses) and Moegi had been training to be a medic under Ino and… Sakura…

Naruto shook his head firmly. No use worrying about her until they knew more details. He focused in on something else he was curious about instead and asked, "Hey Konohamaru, what's the deal between you and Moegi now, anyway?"

The question caught the younger teen off guard. He blushed and stammered, "A-ah, well, uh, we're-- --I mean, sh-she--"

"Found it!" exclaimed Udon. Their conversation forgotten, the two other ninja hurried over to him. "The Nadoishi clan." He tapped the page and sniffed. "I heard about them from Kurenai-sensei. They're a mercenary clan that holds no particular ties or loyalties --that way they can work for anybody."

Naruto studied the information on the page carefully. "You sure it's them?"

Udon's glasses slipped as he nodded. Adjusting them, he explained, "It was the sleeping agent Konohamaru described that tipped me off: a drug, not genjutsu so it can't be dispelled, very effective but from all appearances harmless."

"'The Nadoishi consider all life valuable'," read Konohamaru. "'Consequently they never take it without proper compensation.'"

The brainy teen nodded again. "They're master druggists who'll gladly kill for money but no more than they have to. They knock out innocents and even minimize risk to themselves by attacking indirectly; they keep their own operatives out of danger by discreetly drugging a third party --usually someone their target is familiar with-- and using them to do their dirty work."

"Sakura," growled Naruto, eyes gleaming fiercely.

"Uh, w-well…" Udon shifted uncomfortably. "…In this case, y-yeah…"

Konohamaru broke the silence that followed. "Um, so, how does their mind-control work?" he asked. Naruto shook himself out of his angry musings and paid attention.

Udon blew out a breath and reached for another book. "R-right. Um, their latest known method uses a combination of a hallucinogen and genjutsu. The drug breaks down resistance to suggestion by temporarily disrupting the capability for cognitive thought. The genjutsu supplies a delusion to the victim's mind that causes them to attack the target --such as the appearance of a hated enemy or a concentrated sense of betrayal."

Naruto frowned and mulled the words over a bit. "So," he began slowly, "the drug disorients you, and the genjutsu directs you to do what they want…"

"…which is to attack your buddy 'cuz he looks like a bad guy?" finished Konohamaru.

"Basically, yeah."

Naruto grimaced, wondering who Sakura thought she was attacking and growing more unsettled at each candidate. "Can it be dispelled?"

Udon thought carefully before answering, taking his glasses off to wipe them. "…Well, the genjutsu can be dispelled in the earliest stages but since the hallucinogen is still affecting her it would be too easy to reestablish. We haven't developed an antidote to the drug yet, but it wears off on its own eventually anyway, dissolving harmlessly without trace. When that happens the genjutsu becomes a simple thing to break --sometimes it fails all on its own." He paused, flipped a page, grimaced and shook his head. "The biggest problem is that the drug gets _more_ effective over time before it expires, not less. A victim becomes more and more convinced the delusion is their own real perception --which makes it harder to disrupt-- and more determined to accomplish the mission." He hesitated, nudging the bridge of his glasses and looking uncomfortable. "In other words, sensei, the longer we wait, the harder Sakura-sensei is going to try to kill you."

Konohamaru turned to his sensei as that sunk in. Hard-eyed, Naruto seemed lost in thought for a long moment and didn't speak. "…Boss?"

"You said they could reestablish the genjutsu," Naruto said suddenly, looking right at Udon. "How? Do they have agents nearby?"

They heard the sound of a distant crash, followed by several muffled noises. The younger teens glanced around nervously, but Naruto spoke sharply. "Udon!"

Udon jumped. "Oh! Uh, no, they use a remote transmitter…" His eyes widened. "…which would have to be planted somewhere in the Village!"

Konohamaru brightened. "Perfect! We find the transmitter and we--"

He was interrupted when the door to the room exploded. The shower of splinters even reached them more than twenty meters away. Naruto reacted instantly, dumping the table on its side and yanking his two students down behind it with him. It was a wise course of action; a hail of shuriken followed the wood chips, embedding in the tabletop and the wall behind them. Nothing more happened for a moment. Konohamaru began to peek up over the edge, but Naruto caught him and pulled him back down, shaking his head before forming a hand sign. A Shadow Clone popped up to try and vault the table, but before he could even lift a foot they saw him stiffen --and then he exploded as a study bench hurtled through the space where his head had been.

They covered their heads as the bench shattered against the wall with enough force that several pieces stuck. "Okay, here's the plan," barked Naruto, unconcerned that Sakura could overhear. She seemed content to throw things at their refuge as she slowly picked her way toward them. They felt several more impacts at their backs and breathed silent thanks it was thick table. "We split up; Udon, get to the Hokage and tell her everything; Konohamaru, you and I are going to look for that transmitter. Head toward the center of town --they probably set it near there to keep as much of the Village within range as they can."

Udon nodded, but Konohamaru looked uneasy. "You say that like you're not coming with me, Boss."

Naruto smirked with chagrin. "I'm not. She's after me, so I'm going to draw her away from both of you."

His protégé frowned. "Like heck you are! I'm not about to leave you to a super-powered psycho by yourself --even if she is a teammate." The table shook behind them, as if to emphasize his point.

Naruto gave him a stern look. "Konohamaru--"

"Not going to happen, Boss. You need me."

Udon glanced uncertainly between obstinate expressions for a moment, before Naruto snorted. "Stubborn kid," he said with a true smirk this time. He pivoted and rolled onto his back, bracing his feet on their rapidly deteriorating shield.

"Blame my sensei," replied Konohamaru with the same expression, preparing to move.

Naruto glanced between both of his students. "Ready guys?" Just after another impact he shouted, "**Go!**" and kicked hard, launching the overturned table.

Sakura, who was almost upon them, reflexively slammed the chair she held down into the projectile, smashing both. Trailing shinobi wire between them, Konohamaru and Udon dashed past her, catching her off her feet. They pinned the ends down to trap her almost without stopping. It wouldn't hold her for long, of course; almost instantly she broke the threads and jumped up again. But that was all the time Naruto needed to follow the boys out the gaping hole where the door had been, trailing Shadow Clones to distract her as he went.

They failed to fool her this time, though. They'd nearly made it outside when Naruto caught her reflection in the glass and yelled a warning. They scattered as the entire front desk forcibly exited the building. _Where are the receptionists?_ Naruto, who'd leapt up to hang from the ceiling, opened his eyes after the shower of broken glass just in time to see Sakura flying through the air toward him. He leaned back, trying to flatten himself against the ceiling. Her fist passed an inch in front of his nose and he thought he felt the tingle of chakra exertion. He was sure of it a moment later; she missed his head but caught the long tail of his coat hanging down. Yelping in surprise, he was yanked off the ceiling and flung to the ground, where he bounced off his head and tumbled out of the building.

He struggled to his feet, shaking his head to clear away the stars. He saw Konohamaru trying to engage Sakura. When she merely shoved her way past him he resorted to tripping her. Seemingly in irritation she lashed out at him with a foot, sending him flying back into the Archives building. Naruto saw Udon move to intervene then, but he caught the boy's eye. "No, Udon, get going! Konohamaru and I can handle her!" The brainy teen only hesitated a moment before taking off down the street.

Sakura was on her feet and approaching again. Naruto shuddered when he saw that her face looked darker yet and her pupils had disappeared entirely, but he set himself carefully, ready to try something.

She assaulted him again. He bided his time, and when she threw a high kick he pounced, seizing her foot and shoving it roughly away. As she stumbled, he put two fingers to the small of her back and gathered chakra. "Release!" he commanded. He felt a surge of energy and a subtle mental shift and knew he had succeeded.

Before he could do anything else, however, he noticed almost subconsciously something out of place. When he realized what it was, he did a double-take --for a moment he thought he'd seen Konohamaru stepping out through the door of an entirely undamaged building. But the fresh wave of malevolence pulsing through the air distracted him, and when he looked again the structural carnage still filled the street.

Not that he had long to look; hands like iron pincers grabbed the shoulders of his coat and hurled him down the street. His bouncing roll ended on his back and he saw Sakura pouncing to pin him, but she had to recoil when a curtain of leaves blasted through the air between them. Naruto glanced to the right and saw Konohamaru grinning with an outstretched hand.

The taller man chuckled as he got to his feet. "Thanks. Guess you could come in handy after all."

The two of them ran down the street, but before they turned the corner Naruto threw one more troubled look back toward the leafy storm.

* * *

The process was long and tedious. Naruto assumed the transmitter would be well-hidden, and it was difficult to search for it while constantly watching over their shoulders for attack. Despite their best efforts they weren't very effective at either task. They had several more encounters with Sakura, each sooner than the last, and each time it became harder to shake her.

Naruto made several attempts to break through to Sakura herself, to no avail. Reasoning, pleading, evoking memories --it was like she didn't even hear his words (which was likely).

In fact, progress was just the opposite in that regard: Naruto was horrified to see Sakura begin to actively attack Konohamaru. The younger teen had been instrumental in dealing with Sakura in a nonviolent manner primarily because he was largely ignored. Now that he was actually at risk, though… …Konohamaru was a talented young shinobi, but not yet as proficient a fighter as Naruto or Sakura and definitely not as resilient. He was, however, just hard-headed enough not to realize this and put himself in harm's way regardless. The net result forced Naruto to stay on his toes even more to keep either of them from sustaining serious injury.

The effort was difficult and draining, especially as his frenzied teammate pulled out more and more of her arsenal. At their most recent encounter, the development Naruto had feared most finally occurred: Konohamaru took a grazing blow that had cramped up his leg terribly, and Naruto knew Sakura had delved into her medical jutsu. Those, he knew, had the greatest potential for causing severe and possibly irreparable damage, to Konohamaru if not to himself.

They turned yet another corner onto yet another street filled with unconscious pedestrians and shop employees. Naruto grimaced. _Just who _are_ these Nadoishi guys?_

He was quickly running out of options, because logic dictated a series of impossible choices. He should split off from Konohamaru, but now that he wasn't certain to be the only target that tactic might spell the kid's doom. They could lay low and wait it all out, but Sakura seemed to find them with uncanny ease --he no longer held any confidence they could hide from her, nor that he could protect them both until the drug wore off. He'd already tried sending out a spread of Shadow Clones to search, but that had backfired by attracting Sakura right to them. Naruto wasn't anywhere near the limits of his stamina, of course, but he was beginning to worry about what might happen when he got winded. He could always draw on Fox chakra, but… that power loosened rational thought, made him too volatile. Above all else he wanted to avoid losing control on her.

That, of course, led to the most sensible decision he couldn't make: they should be fighting back, trying to incapacitate Sakura until the right people showed up to treat her (which Naruto was endlessly frustrated hadn't happened already anyway --where _were_ they?). It wasn't as if he didn't know how to detain a target without smashing it, but fighting Sakura… It was an action he couldn't move his body to commit, nor his mind to allow. It wasn't in him.

The same question ran undercurrent to the entire tense deliberation: _Where is that blasted transmitter?!_

"Hey, Boss? When did the post office get an antenna like that?"

* * *

Sakura never confused how she felt about Naruto again.

When they'd first met, he'd been that weird kid her parents hadn't trusted. She'd remained distant then, and eventually decided with Ino and the rest of their friends not to like him. They told themselves it was because he was a brat, loud and dumb and rude and immature to the extreme, and they shunned him appropriately.

He hadn't improved any by the time they graduated the Academy. She'd been as dismayed to be assigned the same squad as Naruto as she'd been delighted to be placed with Sasuke. She'd despised him even more during those first months largely because of how he'd antagonized Sasuke, whom she adored, and nowadays she was ashamed to admit that the knowledge Naruto in turn had a crush on her only made her nastier to him yet.

Gradually, though, through his own dogged persistence he had begun to grow on her. His devotion and selflessness became harder to ignore, and every time she saw him reach out to the horribly ill-fated or risk his life for their team she understood a little better that he had a truly caring heart. He was even instrumental in getting Sasuke to open up to them more, able to reach parts of their teammate she couldn't. Even as her love for Sasuke grew, so did her affection for Naruto.

Then the unspeakable happened. Sasuke turned his back on them.

Unable to stop him herself, she'd gone to Naruto, certain he was the only person that stood a chance. It only occurred to her later the cruel irony of her request; in her desperate begging and heart-letting of how important it was to her that he retrieve Sasuke, she completely forgot the feelings Naruto had for _her_. He'd been silent for all of a heartbeat, before flashing his famous grin and making her a promise. She knew he had personal reasons of his own to go after Sasuke, but his promise had been to bring him back to them --to her. She realized later the full import of his words and his actions from then on: he'd vowed to make her happy _even if he wasn't the one for her_. At that moment, he accepted that his feelings were not returned and he put her first anyway. She hadn't known what to think of that.

Especially since he nearly got himself killed following through. Especially since he disappeared for two years to make good on that promise. During that time, she realized she really knew next to nothing about him or his past, so she'd done some research. When she found that much of it was top secret, she'd been shocked. But then she _had_ to know, so she settled for snooping.

What she found out… Well, it was definitely a humbling experience. Every disparaging word, every nasty thing she'd said to him came back and burned in her ears again. Every time, she remembered he'd just bore it and muscled on through.

She'd been ready for him when he came back. He was taller, smarter, and a lot stronger, but the same boy he'd been when he left. She remembered trying to figure out why he seemed so different to her. She decided it was the time he'd been away… and her new perspective.

He'd become the brother she'd never had. Sometimes he was a younger brother: a good-natured tease, obnoxious sometimes, a goofball who loved to make her laugh. Other times, he was an older brother: protective, a source of advice and a shoulder she could cry on. Always he was looking out for her, and she knew she could talk to him about anything.

When Sasuke had died, Naruto had been the older brother a lot. She'd needed that shoulder for a long time. And though he surely felt a lot of the same pain and loss she did --and more perhaps, in a different way-- she only once saw him let it show. The rest of the time he was careful not to burden her with his troubles --again putting her first.

Eventually, things returned to normal. More and more Naruto was able to play the little brother. Occasionally she screamed at him, sometimes she had to 'discipline' one of his pranks, but usually she found herself laughing at his antics. Everything was just the way it had been before, except for one thing:

It was then that she realized that she could love him. She'd grown to care about him deeply. They were already the closest of friends, and the affection between them had only grown over the years. He seemed content to remain that way, but she felt certain that if she acted on her feelings he would reciprocate. It was so enticing that she almost went through with it.

And yet, she didn't. She held herself back, because one little piece of herself couldn't let go of Sasuke. She could see herself marrying Naruto, and she could even see the two of them being happy together. But as long as that corner of her heart belonged to Sasuke, she knew she could never give it all to Naruto. To give anything less than her everything in marriage just seemed _wrong_, and it felt all too much like it would be the ultimate in a long line of injustices dealt against him. Despite how much she wished it could be, she decided not to reveal feelings that should not be returned.

It was then, taking the metaphorical step back as she did, that Sakura finally noticed something very interesting:

Hinata.

The raven-haired girl had already given her whole heart to Naruto. Sakura saw as much in the way she looked at him and the way she spoke to him. And the more Sakura thought about it, the more she talked with Hinata and learned about her, the more she realized that the other girl understood a part of Naruto that she herself could never really know. Hinata had much deeper grounds to connect with him, to _need_ him, to appreciate him. To love him.

Maybe it was because her own fairy tale love had never come to pass, that Sakura decided she would make certain Hinata got hers. She watched the two of them carefully. Hinata was too timid and self-doubting for her own good --she would never even let her feelings show, let alone make the first move-- and Naruto may have held her heart but he had no idea he did. Well, perhaps that wasn't quite true; he was beginning to warm up to Hinata, to notice her a bit more, but he didn't seem to grasp the depth of the connection between them yet. Regardless, Sakura decided to bump their relationship along. Consult with one little sister, pilfer one diary and make one delivery, and it was done. Just like that, the two of them clicked like she knew they would. She watched their relationship blossom and swell, proud of the fact that, for once, she had been able to do something truly meaningful for Naruto, and for Hinata besides.

Eventually, though, Sakura found she had to turn away. The sight of their happiness was too much to bear, because it reminded her of what she could have had, first with Sasuke, and then with Naruto. It was hard, but she convinced herself she had done the right thing and resolved to continue wishing them the best.

That did not mean she didn't still suffer occasional moments of selfishness. That didn't mean she never felt like venting all of her hurt and sadness and loneliness with a few punches.

Concerning that little impulse, current circumstances were altogether too accommodating.

* * *

There was an open yard in front of the post office. The duo crept up on it under cover of the neighboring park's trees. Then Naruto straightened and strode right into the open, realizing it was too late for Sakura to swoop in and ambush them.

Too late, because she stood directly in their path. She saw them but didn't charge, and the hate in her expression had been replaced by hard-eyed determination. "How did she--" began Konohamaru.

"Changed their illusion to a guard mission? Who knows," offered Naruto. Even as he spoke he realized it wasn't all that hard to explain the ease she'd had in finding them --her controllers just had to have her sweep the areas surrounding the transmitter for the only moving humans. Now he just hoped Udon was alright.

Naruto shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that. He picked up his pace, Konohamaru right with him. Sakura limbered up, ready to pounce, and he wondered briefly if she thought they were Orochimaru and Kabuto coming for Sasuke again. To his protégé, he said, "Ebisu. Evade plan B. Ready?"

The younger teen chuckled. "Oh, yeah. I remember that one." He produced his old pair of goggles and strapped them on.

They took three more steps and Naruto burst forward, dashing with startling speed right up to Sakura. On reflex she smashed him squarely on the jaw, but then he exploded in a puff of smoke and a short log dropped to her feet. The flashbomb tied to the log went off immediately, pulsing a blinding light in a disorienting pattern. Several smaller explosions sounded nearby, and when the light finally faded, the yard was buried under a dense curtain of smoke. Naruto flew out of the haze by the building and ran up the wall. He'd made it about halfway up when he realized Konohamaru wasn't beside him. Something slammed into the building below him and a sense of dread made him pause. The smoke had cleared just enough when he looked down that he could see the younger teen pressed flat against the wall. He threw a glance upward again; a half dozen more steps and he'd reach the transmitter. _Come on, Konohamaru! Get off the ground!_

Then he saw the chakra-pulsing hand pressed against his chest. He saw how rigid Konohamaru's limbs were and knew the kid was paralyzed. The billowing smoke washed away, revealing Sakura at the end of that hand. He saw her other fist cocking back and knew the boy was about to die.

There was no time for tricks. No time for thought. Naruto dropped.

He landed between the two of them and threw his arms wide, covering Konohamaru as best he could. The fist flew and he closed his eyes, silently apologizing to Hinata for getting himself killed.

Instead of a crushing impact, however, he felt a gentle flick to his forehead. Confused, he cautiously opened his eyes again. He was stunned to see a warm smile on Sakura's face, no longer hard or hateful in the least. "Huh? Sakura, what…?"

"You never threw a single punch," she said abruptly, her smile unwavering. "Any sane person would have defended himself, but not Naruto. Never kind-hearted Naruto. All along you thought of everyone else first, even me."

"Sakura? I don't understand. Has the drug worn off?"

She laughed. "There never was a drug, nor a transmitter, nor a mercenary agent, Naruto." He glanced behind him to see Konohamaru, unscarred and grinning, then turned back when Sakura touched his shoulder. She looked him in the eye. "Your enemies are not always honorable," she said seriously. "They will try to attack you through the people you care about. Many would see the way you acted today as a sign of weakness," her eyes softened, "but the Hokage has always been one to sacrifice himself first. I, for one, would much rather follow a leader willing to lay down his own life than one who calculates 'acceptable' loss." She stepped back and smiled again. "Congratulations, Naruto. You pass the Test of Compassion, as I knew you would."

For a moment, Naruto was too stunned to speak. Then, shaking his head and finding his voice, he said, "Look, Sakura, I'm glad you're okay, and believe me I'm glad to pass another Trial, but don't you think you were a little extreme? I mean, smacking me around is one thing, but knocking out all those people and breaking all that stuff--"

"Oh! No, everything's fine Boss!" blurted Konohamaru. Naruto gave Sakura's amused expression one last glance before turning to the younger teen. "See, Sakura-sensei wasn't the one under a genjutsu, Boss --_you_ were!"

"That was my doing, sensei," a new voice said, and Udon stepped around the corner. Holding up two fingers, he said, "Release!" The air popped and Naruto looked around. The last traces of smoke in the yard had vanished, and the handful of people coming and going from the post office were giving them strange glances as they passed. Konohamaru moved over next to Udon as the brainy teen explained, "Most of what you saw was an illusion. No Leaf Village property suffered much damage, and the entire Trial was conducted without interrupting the citizens' daily life." He hesitated and glanced over at Sakura. "I'm not very good at simulating sensations yet, though, so Sakura-sensei had to hit you for real."

Naruto threw a look her way, but then focused on his students again. They looked altogether too smug about their role in all this. He narrowed his eyes. "So let me get this straight: you guys set me up to get the snot kicked out of me while being paraded all over town looking like an idiot. Is that about right?" The smug expressions wavered a little. With a dark chuckle, he cracked his knuckles and said icily, "Well, since you've done me such a favor, it would be unfair not to repay you. Next training session, I think I ought to give each of you a little one-on-one sparring practice."

The blood drained from their faces, but Naruto heard a quiet but distinctly girly giggle from somewhere. "Moegi!" he called sternly. There was a short gasp followed by silence. He sighed. "Too late, Moegi. I know you're there."

Reluctantly, the redhead dropped out of the nearest tree and shuffled over to her teammates. "Uh, h-hey, sensei…" she murmured sheepishly.

"Uh-huh." He raised an eyebrow expectantly. "And just what was your role in this whole mess?"

"W-well," she began nervously, "someone had to keep innocents clear…" She pursed her lips, then added lamely, "…and keep track of you guys for Sakura-sensei…"

Naruto ground his teeth and gave his three fidgeting students an unnerving stare for a moment before saying calmly, "Forget sparring. You three are taking the bell test again."

Three pairs of eyes grew wide as saucers. Udon looked like he wanted to faint. Moegi outright screamed in horror. Konohamaru put on a shaky smile and stammered, "Y-you're just joking, r-right Boss? Y-you wouldn't really…"

Naruto cut off his desperate plea. "Remind me, and we'll talk about it later. For now, just get out of here. Go have some dinner or something, I dunno." He shooed his hand dismissively. The trio of teens wasted no time following his direction.

Beside him, Sakura chuckled. "Think they'll actually remind you?"

He laughed too. "If they do, they deserve it."

She gave him an admonishing look. "Don't be too hard on them, okay? This whole thing was my idea. They were just so eager to get in on the Trials that I let them help me."

"Nah, don't worry about them," he said with a wry look. "My pride took a hit, but I'm not really mad at them. It's good they know I care about them."

She nodded, and they fell into silence. Just as it was becoming awkward, she coughed. "…Well," she began.

"Naruto!" Suddenly Hinata appeared at a run. Anxiety clear on her face, she was looking her fiancé over even before she reached him. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" She pawed through his hair as she spoke, then seized his arm and turned him so she could see his back.

Taken completely off guard, Naruto stammered, "H-Hinata? No, no, I'm --I'm fine!"

She ceased her examination and threw an angry look at the other woman. "Sakura! When Moegi told me your plan she didn't tell me you were going to be so rough with him! I tried to stay out of it, but even for a Trial you went too far!"

Now even more surprised (and embarrassed), Naruto tried to calm her down. "N-no, Hinata, it's okay, Sakura just…"

But Sakura gestured for him to stop. She looked Hinata in the eye and spoke gently. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know I was too harsh, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But… I needed to be." She dropped her gaze for a long moment, before glancing between her two friends. "…I think I'm ready to quit being selfish. I think I'm finally ready to truly wish you both the best."

Neither person responded for a moment. "I-I… see…" Hinata murmured eventually, feeling guilty for her outburst.

Sakura noticed the mood she'd created and spoke quickly. "Look, I didn't mean to be a wet blanket. I'm fine, really, and I'm happy for you." She turned to her longtime teammate. "You should be celebrating, Naruto --you're almost done with the Trial by Leaves! Go spend an expensive dinner with your wife-to-be," she said, winking impishly as she turned to go.

Naruto stopped her. "Sakura, hold on. You're going to visit him now, aren't you? I said I'd go with you." He glanced at Hinata, but she nodded distractedly.

But the pink-haired woman wouldn't hear it. "Naruto, I said I'm going to stop being selfish."

The blond man was just as adamant. "Sakura," he spoke in the same tone, "_I_ said I'm going with you." He shook his head and offered, "It's been a while since I went to see him anyway. I'll walk Hinata home and meet you there."

Sakura glanced at the raven-haired woman, but Hinata was lost in thought and didn't protest. She guessed what her friend was dwelling on and decided she could use the time. "…All right."

* * *

It had rained last year.

Today the sun shone as it sank toward the horizon, but it did little to lighten the weight of the occasion. Naruto met Sakura at the start of the path, and without a word they turned and walked together through the trees. They would be alone again this time, as was often the case. Sometimes Kakashi-sensei would wait and join them, but usually he paid all his respects at once, early in the morning. Sai didn't share the connection they did, and he wanted them to believe he didn't see the point in remembering the dead anyway.

When they arrived Sakura knelt and placed a single, fresh-cut rose at the base of the stone next to the one she'd put there last week. Back when her loss was new and her grief was fresh she'd been here nearly every day pouring out her heart and her tears. As time passed and she began to heal she'd been drawn to come less and less, but she still made it a point to visit at least once a month --more frequently as The Day approached.

Meanwhile, Naruto cast a long, somber look at all the names too numerous on the polished stone before coming to rest on the one they'd come to see. It had been a long uphill battle to get Sasuke's name added to the Leaf's memorial for fallen comrades; without even a body to bury the Elders had wanted to let the 'traitorous Uchiha' leave no mark on the world at all, to rest in anonymity like his brother. Naruto had bristled and refused to let them have their way, but the Council had equally balked at his request to put Sasuke's name among the Village's treasured heroes. Even burning what influence they granted him for his role in defeating Akatsuki, he would not have succeeded if Tsunade had not threatened to hold a grand and very public parade for the two boys instead. Reluctantly, the decision was announced to slate Sasuke Uchiha on the memorial, if only because he had ended Orochimaru's threat. Naruto suspected the grudging compromise was the source of at least part of the Council's current resentment toward him, but he couldn't find it in him to care --the slap on the back from Kakashi-sensei and Sakura's profound look of gratitude those years ago more than made it worthwhile.

Sakura stood and together they performed the proper customs of respect. Then they spoke to Sasuke as if he were right there with them, telling him about their lives and sharing the latest events in the Leaf Village --as they all used to do whenever one of them was ill. They mused about what he would say and how he would react, and the conversation played out in their minds as it would have back then. Two years ago when Sakura had been particularly given to gloomy thoughts she'd wondered aloud whether they'd even actually known Sasuke any more before he died. Naruto had firmly refuted the idea. He was absolutely certain the boy they'd counted their friend was still there in the end, and his confidence reassured her.

Presently, the sun began to dip below the trees, the only indication of the hours that had slipped by unnoticed. The two friends bid their third friend farewell. Sakura promised she would come again soon, before slowly retracing her steps out of the clearing. Naruto lingered a moment or two longer. He stared at the name on the stone and wordlessly let the one promise he'd failed to keep weigh down on his shoulders.

Then he shook himself and went to catch up with Sakura. Already grinning, he reminded her of the one and only time they'd gotten milk to squirt out Sasuke's nose. While she was still laughing, Sakura topped him by recounting that epic snowball fight they'd had with Team Gai.

"Do you remember the look on his face when…"

"Or how about the time…"

"Did you know that once…"

Their steps grew lighter as the good memories overwhelmed and obscured the painful ones. By the time they reached the point where they would part ways they were almost sorry their reminiscence had to end.

They faced each other in the crossroads. One street led toward Sakura's house, one toward the Hyuuga compound. Sakura breathed a contented sigh. "Thanks for this, Naruto. It probably did me more good than I even realize."

Naruto grinned. "Hey, friends watch out for each other, right? Especially teammates."

She chuckled. "Right, especially teammates." Her expression grew more serious. "But now you have a fiancé to take care of. Has Hinata told you yet?"

His eyes hardened but a rueful smile remained on his face. "Yeah. She told me when I took her home earlier, and I'm still kicking myself. Of all things I could possibly forget, I can't believe I didn't ask her father's consent." He chuckled. "Now we get to tell Hiashi Hyuuga, head of probably the Village's biggest stickler-for-tradition clan, that we got engaged under his nose."

"Are you nervous?" asked Sakura, curious.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Naruto shrugged. "But I love her, and I promised her nothing would ever drive us apart."

She smiled and nodded. "You've never been one to let stuffy old rules and customs slow you down."

"And you know how stubborn I can be following through on a promise," he finished, winking as he turned to go.

She watched him walk away. She _did_ know, or at least well enough. She knew, for example, that Hinata was a very lucky woman. She turned and took her own street, warm smile still on her lips.

Neither of them would probably ever realize all of what she'd done for them. But you know what? She was okay with that.

* * *

(End)

* * *

Well? How'd I do? Tell me in a review!

The next update will not be as long in coming as this one, largely because it will be a shorter chapter before the climax. It should be fairly obvious what that climax will be, but keep in mind that I thrive on unexpected twists... ; )

In the meantime, I wrote a one-shot fic called 'Eternal Storm' in honor of the rerelease of Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS. Even if you don't know the story, I'd love it if some of you would take the time to look it over while you wait.

(Shrugs) Regardless, I won't keep you waiting long. Later!

~ArcTheJedi


	12. Shikamaru

Thanks for waiting, everyone!

It really shouldn't have taken me this long to write this, but I've been without Microsoft Word for the couple of months. I'm finally reinstalling it as of tonight, so I won't have to keep mooching off several computers to get anything done.

This chapter is the shortest one I've written, but then Shikamaru's trial has essentially been spread out over the whole story. It's not a lot to read, but it should be pretty insightful.

Anonymous reviews:  
-**JBM**: Hmm... I see your point... Still, it was my understanding that the Shadow Clone jutsu was forbidden for Naruto because it was on the scroll of techniques for jonin eyes only --in other words, it was only off-limits because it was too advanced for a genin. It's very possible that I heard wrong, but no one seems to have any problem with Naruto using it all throughout the show --everyone's always just surprised he can do it at all. Even so, I've looked through that passage you mentioned and decided that phrase really isn't needed, so I took it out. Thanks for the catch!  
-**JBM2**: Actually, Lee's fight _did_ require another solution. Naruto did force Lee's hand with Shadow Clones, but Lee was counting on that as his excuse to remove his weights. From that point on, spamming was completely ineffective; Naruto had to be smart and use careful planning to get any use out of Shadow Clones at all.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Naruto franchise or its characters. I said nothing about the lefts though...**

* * *

Naruto?

On a basic level, he was a simple guy to read: uncomplicated goals, cocky, usually happy-go-lucky, but always stubborn as a mountain (guess which one) and about as tough. Still, if you went deeper to the point that matters, the worst thing about him was also the best thing; the guy was a bit of a nut. You couldn't ever be sure of what he was thinking --usually he wasn't the cleverest shinobi around, but seemingly at random he'd come up with some profound thought or brilliant strategy… or completely miss something obvious. From an outsider's point of view, Naruto's thought process and problem-solving was direct, blunt, and non-complex, but he was always the reliable sort. In the time that Shikamaru had known him, he'd come to think of the knucklehead as a shogi piece that acted erratically, or a pawn or knight that regularly got it into his head to go personally after the queen. Thing is, he usually had the guts (and recently the smarts) to pull it off.

All in all, Naruto was not perfect. But then, to Shikamaru's knowledge nobody was. It was the passion that made the difference; Naruto's constant drive to better himself and overcome his faults was something Shikamaru didn't see in too many people --certainly not himself, for example-- and it's what convinced him the guy would be a good leader.

The Fox?

Eh. Naruto had it well under control. It was just one other factor to consider during strategy.

Shikamaru lazily finished penning the last line or two on the document. He lolled his head up the road when he heard someone approaching. Smirking, he folded the page up and slipped it into a pocket. "Well. Looks like you're on a mission."

Again resplendent in his formal shogun garb, Naruto smiled easily as he approached and sat on the next stool over. "Yeah, and a dangerous one at that. I'm off to convince Hiashi Hyuuga to let me marry his daughter."

Across the counter, Teuchi gave a low whistle. "That does sound like a tough one," he joked. "Tell you what, this one's on the house. Double order of the regular, comin' up."

Naruto's smile broadened. "Thanks, Old Man, I appreciate it. Put it in take-out cups, would ya? Wouldn't do to be late." He spun in his seat and leaned back on the counter carefully, looking up at the sky.

Shikamaru joined him. The day had begun clear --the rising sun shone brightly in the middle of a patch of crisp blue-- but a curtain of ominous clouds was rolling in on the horizon; a storm was coming. The lazy ninja threw a glance sideways at Naruto. The other man gazed at the dark clouds intently, an undaunted look around his eyes and mouth. Shikamaru studied him a moment longer and snorted. "Clean-shaven, clothes washed and pressed, appearance immaculate, and all this early in the morning… you're really serious about this, aren't you?"

Naruto gave one short nod, expression unchanged. "Heck yeah, I am. For Hinata's sake I'm going to try the polite and civil route, but when it all comes down to it, by the end of today Hiashi is either going to have a peace of mind about us or a piece of mine. I will not be turned back."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, I hate to start that day on a drag, but--"

"You won't." Naruto finally turned to smile at Shikamaru, complete confidence in his eyes. "This time, I'm prepared. I've got you beat."

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow and a smirk tugged at his mouth. "Oh yeah? Let's hear it. What's one thing that will never let a shinobi down?"

"Perseverance." His expression remained even.

So did Shikamaru's. "Never giving up? Keep fighting when you know you're outclassed and you'll get yourself killed."

Naruto shook his head. "No, not _persistence_. You're right, sometimes it's better to retreat from battles you can't win. _Perseverance_ is the refusal to leave it at that --to push yourself to become stronger, smarter, _better_, whatever, until you _can_ win those battles. Perseverance is the drive to improve, to never give up because something is 'too hard', and _that_ will never let you down, shinobi or otherwise."

The other man thought about it only a moment before nodding. "All right, good point. Now it's your turn. Stump me."

Naruto's smile twisted into a smirk of his own. "Try this one on for size: 'I am an investment of brick and mortar. I'm not worth much now, but shaped and built I forge a Village's future; I dictate its prosperity to come. What am I?'" He settled back into his seat with a look of satisfaction as he waited for the lazy ninja's answer.

Shikamaru took his time. He looked up at the sky, focused on the oncoming clouds, and didn't speak or move. After a minute or two he closed his eyes, and Naruto knew he had entered the second stage of his thinking process. During this time, Teuchi finished Naruto's order and set the take-out cups on the counter. Taking it seriously now, Shikamaru bent forward and assumed his concentration pose; hands at stomach level, fingertips pressed together, palms up.

Eventually he sat back up. A look of amused intrigue on his face, he shrugged in the other man's direction. Naruto's smirk expanded further. He raised his chin slightly and said, "Simple genin."

Shikamaru considered that answer a moment. Then he shrugged again. "Good news: you're done with the Trial by Leaves. Bad news: that means we're back to work soon."

Naruto mirrored the wry look on his face. "That last part's true, but my trials aren't quite done yet." He stood and scooped up the ramen cups, nodding thanks to the cook.

Shikamaru snorted. "I wouldn't worry too much. Perseverance will never let a ninja down, right?"

Naruto shot him one last cool look before heading off toward the Hyuuga compound, in the direction of the gathering storm.

Not long after, Choji wandered up and sat next to his teammate. "So," he began without preamble, "Naruto didn't really stump you, did he." It was more statement of expectation than question.

A sly smirk crept into existence. "Maybe. Maybe not. The point was to get him thinking outside the box, right? Mission accomplished."

* * *

"Mission accomplished indeed!" observed Tsunade an hour later in her office. She studied the completed report intently. "This is good work, Shikamaru…" She shuffled through a few more pages. "…_very_ good work. I appreciate the effort you put into this."

Slouched in the chair across from her, the normally-lazy ninja nodded. "It was a big drag, but I figured since it was my idea in the first place…" He shrugged. "Eh. Wasn't much different than grading papers at the Academy."

"My sympathies." It was impossible to tell if the Hokage's tone was sarcastic or sincere.

Next to her, Shizune cleared her throat. "So, what all do we have to work with?" TonTon oinked with interest from her lap.

Never taking her eyes off the papers, Tsunade straightened and began slowly. "…Rock Lee can attest to Naruto's physical prowess. Tactical sense, critical thinking, jutsu proficiency --Neji, Kiba and TenTen cover them all, so we have ample evidence to satisfy any reasonable expectation of skill."

"My test will show he's no genius, but he does have an unorthodox take on things. That sort of creativity is just as good in most cases. I'm definitely saving that riddle of his for Academy classes, for example."

"He demonstrated leadership potential with TenTen as well," added Shizune, "and Ino's and Shino's tests can support that."

Tsunade nodded. "He's still shaky on etiquette and rough with his manners. That will cost him points with some of them, but there's plenty of time for him to improve." She pursed her lips a moment, then nodded. "Besides, if they can tolerate _me_, they can tolerate him."

Shikamaru cleared his throat, drawing their attention. Nodding toward one paper in particular, he said, "Sai's there will be the big one for a lot of them. If Naruto can be put in such a bloodrage against someone openly antagonizing him and _still_ keep the Fox on a leash, nobody has any grounds to suggest he'll lose it on anyone from the Leaf Village."

"Sakura's and Choji's exams should prove that beyond a doubt," said Shizune. "Choji's trial also doubles as a poll of Village support --Naruto's enemies are growing fewer in number."

The Hokage nodded. "That show of support is the most important thing. Shikamaru, did each of you complete your psyche evaluations?"

Shikamaru inclined his head toward a small stack of papers neatly set off to the side. "Some of us got to the point quicker than others, but we all understood the point was to be objective." He shrugged. "Of course, some of us were better at that than others…"

Tsunade picked up the stack and glanced through it. She paused at one particular page and nodded thoughtfully. "We may have to throw out Hinata's opinion."

The lazy ninja waved his hand. "Eh, I'd keep it in. The few who are actually curious won't find a more familiar source."

"Given the circumstances no one would believe her to be unbiased. We don't want to give the rest of them any sort of leverage to dismiss the whole thing," said Tsunade. The young man just shrugged.

A curious look on her face, Shizune chimed in, "There's something I don't understand. Very few of the eleven ninja performing the Trial by Leaves have the training and experience to make that sort of assessment of character --especially if we're worried about bias. Wouldn't it be more effective to have older, more qualified shinobi evaluate him?"

But the Hokage shook her head. "That would probably be more professional, but less effective. Most of the Elders are sensible enough to realize they are selecting a leader primarily for their children, and perhaps grandchildren. That means the opinions of that age group --of _all_ that age group-- carry a lot of influence."

Shizune's eyebrows rose. "Oh, I see! The Leaf Twelve are respected as the best and brightest of the next generation." If Shikamaru appreciated the praise, he didn't show it beyond a quirked lip. "The group on the whole is well loved throughout the Village. Unanimous support among them for one of their number will not be easy to ignore."

The lazy ninja surprised her then by snorting aloud, his smirk turning wry. "You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?" At the assistant's inquisitive look, Hokage and ninja shared a knowing glance. "Never underestimate the ability of stubborn old men to be a drag," Shikamaru said frankly, as if that explained everything.

Still confused, Shizune turned to her lady. "We have enough evidence to convince those who are legitimately on the fence," Tsunade explained, "but the problem is that we still don't have a majority. The kid's right, the Elders can be incredibly stubborn, but especially in groups. The number that still actually hates Naruto has become much smaller than it was, but they still hold a great deal of influence --enough to hold most of the undecided against him."

Shizune frowned. "I see the problem. We should try to break up the confederacy, then. Who else can we lure away?"

Shikamaru blew out a long sigh. "That's exactly the problem."

Tsunade was tight-lipped as she spoke. "Due to a variety of circumstances, the clan with probably the most political clout happens to be the Hyuuga."

The other woman rocked back in her seat. "And Naruto's trying to marry their heiress."

The Hokage looked rueful. "From all appearances, Hiashi has been remaining ambivalent so far during the deliberation, but he is without question the most influential figure on the Council. Whichever way he swings will almost certainly turn the tide of the debate."

Shizune nodded slowly as she realized the whole of the situation. "Naruto's at the Hyuuga Compound right now to speak to Hiashi about his marriage to Hinata. The stakes are higher than he realizes; the Hyuuga are proud, strong, and steeped in tradition --infamous grudge-holders. If Naruto offends him, creates any sort of bad blood between them…"

"…The entire Trial by Leaves may be completely wasted," finished Shikamaru. "Pretty much." He shrugged and lounged back, laying his head on his folded arms, and closed his eyes. "We broke the long stalemate in the game and did everything we could to move the plan forward. Now it's all up to Naruto for the win; if he's not careful, he might very well get himself in checkmate."

* * *

(End)

* * *

We're closing in on the end here, folks. Sorry to tease you all with such a short chapter, but I had to tie off the last of the loose ends before the climax. Speaking of, have I built enough suspense for you concerning that little talk? ; )

The next update will be the Big One, the chapter I've been itching to get to for a while now. I'm so eager to start on it I think I will progress quickly, but at the same time since it **is** the climax I'll also want to be very sure to give it my best effort. Overall, it's hard to say when I will be done, but I'll try to finish as soon as I can without compromising quality.

Actually, that leads me to an interesting question. In every chapter so far (minus the party and the intro) I've done an introspective segment with each of Naruto's friends revealing how they feel about him. (If it wasn't obvious, these were meant to be fragments of the psyche evaluations Shikamaru described in this chapter.)

My question is, should I do one of these introspective segments on Hinata? Part of me thinks I should just to round out the set, but another part thinks the way Hinata feels about Naruto is probably self-evident by now. What do you guys think? I'll be happy to do it if you ask me to, but those segments take the longest because they require so much thought --if I write one it will most likely push the chapter back another week or even two.

(Shrugs) Let me know.

~ArcTheJedi


	13. Hinata

All right folks, here it is, the conclusion to Trial by Leaves. I think I might possibly have gone a little overboard on a couple aspects, but overall I think I'm quite pleased with how this came out.

Before I go any further, let me offer my sincere thanks to all of you; as of the moment I posted this update, Trial by Leaves has acquired 217 reviews, over 28,000 hits, 10 c2s, 111 favorites, and 153 alerts; I myself am on 28 author favorites and 28 author alert lists. I didn't know what to expect when I started this --I had only a vague measure of my own skill. So, it means a lot to me to meet with such success.

Thank you all for your patience, for sticking with me. You've made it all worth it.

Right then. Enough with the sappiness. ;P

Anonymous reviews:

-**TL**: Sorry I forgot to reply at the initial update. If you haven't read the chapter already, I think you'll be pleased. ; )  
If you _have_ read the chapter, I hope you enjoyed the twist I put on things.

**Disclaimer: 'Twas a fierce battle as had never been seen between Copyright and Anti-Spoiler ninja. Non-niceties were hurled, fishes were slapped, and heads were bonked in a grueling contest that lasted months without end. Then, as suddenly as it began, the Anti-Spoiler ninja withdrew, offering only that the story was finished, and their mission was complete... for now. When asked for comment, the leader of the Copyright squad had this to say: "I do not own the Naruto franchise or characters."**

* * *

The first time she saw him, he'd been crying.

She'd failed at practice again. Father had screamed at her again, but Mother wasn't there to curb his temper any more. Maybe that made him yell louder. Baby Hanabi had started crying, and while Father had been distracted Hinata ran. She ran out into the street, to find a safe place to leave her tears.

Just when she collapsed behind a vacant stall to let everything out, that's when she saw him: a little blond boy, no bigger than herself, curled up just inside the alley across the way. His face was buried in his knees, and his body shook with sobs. Alone, and so very lonely. She knew that feeling, she knew it so well she wanted to go and sit with him and cry with him, if only so neither of them would have to alone.

She didn't though, because then three other boys turned the corner and called to him. These were not friends; he flinched at their voices. They surrounded him, kicked at him. She could hear them calling him names. They picked him up and shoved him around. Eventually he fell onto his hands and knees into the street. She wanted so badly to run to him, to make them stop hurting him, but she couldn't.

His body was trembling as he pushed himself off the ground. Then suddenly, it stopped. He raised his head right in her direction. He didn't see her hidden by the stall, but she saw him; something changed behind his big blue eyes, and his quivering lip grew still. No more tears poured down the streaks on his face. Two of the other boys picked him off the ground and turned him around and the third gave him another shove. He stumbled, nearly fell, but caught himself and marched right back up to the bully. He said nothing, did nothing, just stood there looking him in the eye. Confusion crossed the other boy's face. He shoved the little blond boy again, who stumbled less this time and came right back again. He and his friends grew angry then, yelling at him and hitting him and pushing him harder, but every time, without a word or an ounce of resistance, the little blond boy just picked himself up and faced them again. Eventually they grew tired of their sport and wandered away. As he watched them go, he wiped his nose once decisively, turned, and walked the other way.

She crept out of the stall to follow him with her eyes in amazement. That's when Uncle Hizashi caught her. He scooped her off the ground and lectured her politely not to wander off by herself, staring at her with his pale, cold eyes. Uncle Hizashi didn't like her, she could tell. No one did. The whole world hated her, except… She looked over his shoulder at the little blond head disappearing down the street.

It was then that she decided they were meant to be friends. She wanted to tell him then, but she couldn't.

* * *

The first rays of sunlight crept into Hinata Hyuuga's bedroom and found her sitting at her desk. The raven-haired woman turned watered eyes out her window. It was not the light of dawn that had found her, for the sun had risen over the horizon some time ago, but it had risen behind angry clouds. Even now the sun's radiant face only peered through a gap in the gathering gloom; its feeble rays conveyed none of its warmth, and it would disappear entirely again soon.

Hinata extinguished the two candles that had made poor substitute and stood. She paused and looked again at the photograph by her open diary. It was a picture taken of herself and Naruto embracing, totally at ease, during that wonderful night under the stars. She brushed a hand once more against those faces that looked so happy, before silently moving to dress and prepare.

* * *

The next time she saw him it was their first day at the Academy. She didn't know how she'd convinced Father to let her come, but as soon as he dropped her off she began looking for that boy. Class hadn't let in yet and all the kids were out in the front yard. Careful not to let anyone notice her, she searched through each crowd, but to her dismay he wasn't there. Her six-year-old heart sank as she realized he may not even want to be a shinobi --she had no reason to think he'd be there in the first place.

And then, suddenly, there he was, a flash of blond dashing around the corner of the building… and plowing right into her. She gave a squeak of surprise as they both tumbled to the ground.

He was back on his feet in a flash, a flustered look on his face. "Oh! Sorry! Sorry! Hey, are you okay? Are you alright?"

Her voice caught, and she was unsure how to respond. Why was that such an unfamiliar question? _Honey, are you okay? Is everything all right?_ Wasn't it Mother who said that last? She looked up at the boy in confusion. She hadn't even told him they were friends yet. Did he really care about her that much already?

Perplexed at her silence, the boy looked around frantically until he caught sight of something growing at the base of the wall next to them. He plucked the plant and thrust it at her, saying, "Here --girls like flowers, don't they?" It wasn't much of a flower really, just a dandelion, but its full yellow bloom looked so much like his wild blond head she had to giggle. He began to relax.

Then from somewhere around the corner an adult voice screamed, "NAAA-RUU-TOHHH!!!!"

The boy tensed again. "Woops. Gotta go --see ya!" He flashed her a grin that was almost too big for him as he dashed past her. A man with a scar across his nose came around the corner, saw him and took off after him.

Hinata looked down at the dandelion in her hand. Naruto… so that was his name. That was the day that Naruto had charmed her. But she couldn't tell him, because her voice had not returned.

* * *

The wind howled as Naruto passed through the gates to the Hyuuga compound, ruffling his hair and fluttering the loose folds of his attire. Having already disposed of the ramen cups from breakfast, he gave himself a last once-over as he stopped before the door.

Satisfied, he looked back at the building before him. The face of the Hyuuga compound loomed over him, large, grand, and proud. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Naruto thought he could almost see Hiashi's frowning face glaring down on him, just as the darkened sky overhead rumbled menacingly.

He grimaced, hoping that wasn't a bad omen as he reached for the door.

* * *

One month into the school year, Hinata still felt alone. As the closely guarded Hyuuga heiress, she hadn't known any kids her own age her whole life except maybe cousin Neji. She wished she could make friends, but it was too hard to look around and not see Father's disapproving look or her branch relatives' distant faces. Her grades had begun to show that they would suffer from her distraction. Father was already growing unsatisfied. She would have given up and returned to home schooling if it weren't for Naruto; the prospect of having even one friend like him was something she'd wanted for just too long. So there she stayed.

One morning she'd excused herself to go to the bathroom, as she often did when it had been particularly suffocating. On her way back she didn't notice a sign and slipped on wet floor, bumping a mop leaning against the wall. The mop fell over and tapped a trophy on a shelf, and like a series of dominos more or more memorabilia across the shelf toppled, until the heavy bust at the end fell off the shelf entirely, slamming into the life-size statue of the Third Hokage on loan to the Academy. Hinata drew her hands to her mouth in a horrified gasp; the statue's base, already cracked and in need of repair, gave way entirely and the entire thing collapsed, smashing the Third's head into the floor and shattering his body into pieces.

Hinata felt like she might go to pieces too. The statue was very important --the teachers had made it very clear to the kids not to touch it. And she broke it! Father would be furious with her --or worse, he would tell her how ashamed he was, how embarrassed. He'd pull her out of the Academy, and then she'd never get to see--

Suddenly a classroom door flung open and Naruto himself darted through, jeering back over his shoulder. He stopped short and his eyes widened when he saw the carnage in the hall, wider yet when he spotted her. She did burst into tears then. Of all people to catch her, why did it have to be him?

The teacher came out after him. "Naruto! Get back to your-- --_What-?!_ The Third's--! --WHAT HAPPENED?!" Hinata flinched at the words.

Then something strange happened. Naruto, who had been curiously studying her, spun toward the teacher and put on a cheeky smile. "Aw, what's the big deal? It needed fixing anyway --now it's just broke all over. It's a dumb statue anyway. I did everyone a favor."

Hinata was dumbstruck. What was he…? Why was he…?

The teacher's face turned seven different shades of red. "That's IT, you little monster! You are really going to catch it this time!" He seized the boy's arm and marched him off down the hall. As they passed Hinata, she saw Naruto pause his squirming and protesting to wink at her, as if telling her that everything was okay.

That was when she began to truly admire him. But she still couldn't tell him.

* * *

It was Hinata who greeted him. To his disappointment, she was not wearing her dress that complemented his own outfit but was instead clad in her traditional Hyuuga robes. Still, Naruto recognized the need to appease her father, so he let it go without comment.

She looked relieved to see him, but he could see her entire frame was tense with anxiety. Without a word he put his arms around her and drew her mouth to his. Her lips trembled at first, but like a gap opened in an over-filled balloon he felt some of the nervousness drain out of her. When they parted again, he was careful to wear a strong face for both of them. She smiled then, a small, shaky thing but a smile nonetheless, before leading him further inside.

* * *

For the longest time after that, Hinata hadn't known whether to be glad or sad that she was so good at being invisible. On the one hand it was a blessing, because like her Naruto only let himself really _be_ himself when he thought he was alone. She got to see the true side of him that she was sure no one else alive knew. She watched him try and fail in class and turn his failure into a prank, a joke. And then she watched him go off by himself after class and really _try_… and fail, and try some more. She watched him snore in front of the teacher, and work himself to utter exhaustion when he thought no one could see him. She saw the mocking grin he wore in public replaced with that strange look in his eye that had appeared the first time she saw him, when his tears had ceased. She decided that look was resolve.

Why was he resolved? She thought she knew. She heard the things the other kids --the adults, even-- said about him. Whether they said it to his face or when they thought he was out of earshot, he heard them often enough too. Every time, she saw his jaw flinch so slightly anyone else would have missed it. But then he would smirk or stick his tongue out like it didn't bother him. One time during their secret hours she heard him say between heavy breaths, "Let them think what they want!" before getting up and throwing his all into practice again. She thought she understood then; what people said didn't matter, because _he_ knew he was worth more, and he worked to prove it to them. This was a profound revelation for Hinata; the two of them were so similar she wondered if the same could be true for her. She set her mind to it, and it was an instant relief. She was still shy and soft-spoken, and she had trouble finding the self-worth Naruto held so easily, but merely setting that goal in mind --believing that one day she would show everyone she was special-- was enough to fill a void in her life. The progress might be slow and painful, but as long as he could bear it so could she.

Yes, being invisible was, at times, a blessing. On the other hand, it was also a curse, because Naruto still didn't see her. He didn't know they were friends, so alike and not alone. He didn't know how much she admired him, how he was changing her life. And she still couldn't tell him.

* * *

They greeted Hiashi in his audience room, a stark and sparse chamber, with few furnishings except the mats on which they all knelt and the grand ornate tapestry bearing the Hyuuga crest hung on the wall behind the clan head. As one of the petitioners, Hinata knelt next to Naruto across from her father.

It was expected that everyone had already eaten, but custom dictated that drinks be set out and enjoyed together before the meeting could begin. Usually it was the lady of the house that prepared and served the refreshment; Hinata herself had served in that capacity several times. Given her position today, of course, Hanabi took her place, silently pouring the tea before leaving them to their privacy.

The custom was meant in the spirit of hospitality, but there was none in the atmosphere this day. Naruto tried two or three times to strike up conversation with Hiashi, but the Hyuuga offered only terse replies in clipped tones, keeping his face entirely impassive as his off-white eyes bored into the younger man. Eventually giving up the idea of dialogue, Naruto let him stare, setting his chin and gazing resolutely in return.

The three of them sipped their tea in stifling silence.

* * *

She couldn't win. She wasn't good enough yet. It was the first time she'd truly had Naruto's attention, and she failed. As she lost consciousness from Neji's injuries at that first Chunin Exam, Hinata had glimpsed Naruto standing over her and prayed that he would think highly of her effort, or at least that he would begin to see the change that he had inspired in her.

Shino had visited her in the hospital and told her what Naruto had done after she passed out. It stunned her. The best she'd been hoping for was confirmation of the concern she thought she'd seen in the blond boy's face. That he'd sworn such a personal oath on her behalf… To her knowledge he'd never done anything like that before. It felt like he was acting as her own private champion. The thought sent a burst of unexplainable emotion through her, and it made her wonder…

As soon as she was well enough she'd begun making regular trips to the places where she'd watched Naruto from the shadows, to consider things seen, heard, and done. On the day of the final Exam, to her surprise and quite by accident (or perhaps it was fate) she'd met him there. He'd shocked her to admit he was faltering, displaying a doubt in himself she'd thought he'd left far behind. She realized that once again she was seeing a deep part of him he never showed anyone else. Even flattered that he saw fit to confide in her as she was, a need to restore his confidence overtook her, and all in a rush she found herself telling him exactly how she felt.

At least, in part. She told him all the good qualities she knew he had and everything she admired about him. The rest of her feelings, though, fluttered about in such chaos she couldn't even make sense of them, let alone set them to words. Not that she needed to; he remembered himself and perked up right away.

What Naruto said to her then at that place, sent a fresh wave of that unknown warmth through Hinata and made her wonder even further.

Not long afterward she watched his fight with Neji. She saw the world beating down on him through her cousin, and saw him buck the world's contempt in return. She knew he fought to prove himself, but she saw his fist held solemnly straight out in front of his chest and knew he fought for her as well.

That was the day she knew for certain: she would love him until the day she died and beyond. But she certainly couldn't tell him _that_…

* * *

Hinata listened absently as Naruto began the proper introduction, acknowledgement of tradition, cites of respect, and the like. She knew the words by heart, and he'd practiced them enough she was sure he knew the right things to say.

Her attention wandered, and she heard the patter of rain begin to tap against the roof. As the routine words droned on, the tapping grew loud and impatient, as if the rain shared her anxious anticipation. Naruto must have felt it too; he was growing frustrated though he struggled not to show it, and she could tell it was becoming an effort to force himself to slow down and remember everything.

The sliding door rattled as the wind flew in through one of the gardens and tore down the open hallway. Hinata hoped for the sake of her health that Hanabi was not trying to eavesdrop. Warmth seemed to leech out of the room, leaving a faint but noticeable chill in the air.

It was a foul day indeed.

* * *

Over the years there arose several missions and circumstances that placed the two of them together, and every time they did she was eager to show Naruto how closely she followed his path and his _nendo_.

For the most part, though, Hinata had contented herself to remain invisible, letting her love and her admiration grow in silence. She watched him become a man and continued to notice the things everyone else missed; she watched him play pranks on his friends, but she also saw the look of concern on his face whenever he overheard one of their troubles; she watched him brag along with the rest about the missions he'd completed and the foes he'd beaten, but she noticed he took much more pride in the friends he'd made along the way than the kills he'd made as a shinobi.

Over time she decided that was the true source of his resolve. He worked to prove himself, not in skill but compassion. He fought not to win but to protect. He considered all life precious and worth standing up for. He'd become the hero his father hoped he would be; she decided that the day she learned about the Fox. To care so much even under such a burden took more heart than she thought any other man possessed, and it was such a heart she'd come to adore.

Maybe she idealized him. Maybe even he didn't see half of these things in himself, but she _did_ see them, and it didn't take her Byakugan to do it. If only she could muster the courage to tell him how she felt… But how could she, when he was so amazing and she still struggled to find her own worth?

And then one day less than two months ago, quite out of the blue she found she didn't have to anymore; as if fate had intervened, her own diary had flown to him and conveyed her feelings, and he had found his way to her, returning them with his own. The first kiss they shared that day had baffled her, because it meant he had seen something in her that she had missed. The second had banished the thought from her mind.

Since then she had lived in the present, and the present was a dream come true. Eventually she worried about what would happen when the dream ended, but it was then the dream perfected itself; she wore his ring on her finger, and she wondered how the present could get any better.

Like waking from a dream, however, Hinata found her eyes opened. She looked to the future, and her heart sank. Naruto would be Hokage some day; there could be no lesser future for him. Could she be a Hokage's wife? No, he would need a woman who was strong, confident and wise at his side. Even if she thought she could become that woman, Hinata was not unaware of politics. She knew the danger to his position she put him in, and she knew she could not be so selfish as to cost him the future he deserved.

As much as she loved him and as much as he would hate himself for it, if the choice came down to being with her or fulfilling his dreams, they would each have to reconcile themselves to the choice he would have to make. Because she couldn't tell him.

* * *

Naruto paused in his litany and blew out an irritated sigh. Rather than pick up where he'd left off, he said, "Look, with all due respect Lord Hyuuga, we're all aware of each other's position here. Rather than waste breath repeating what everyone already knows, can we skip all the formality and speak frankly?"

Hinata drew in a gasp beside him, causing him to wince, but Hiashi surprised them both when he gave a short nod and said, "By all means."

Naruto blinked twice. "Uh, well, thank you." He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Okay. I'm here to ask for Hinata's hand in marriage."

"A bit late, it would seem," replied the older man sourly, inclining his head ever so slightly toward his daughter. Hinata jerked and nearly covered her hand with her other, but caught herself and endured, turning crimson in embarrassment. Naruto felt his own face heating up as well; he'd forgotten they were both still wearing their engagement rings. He realized then that Hinata had probably never taken hers off, and suddenly wondered how long Hiashi had known.

He coughed. "…That was my mistake. It's not an excuse, but since I have no family of my own I'm not used to these sorts of traditions. I didn't mean to undermine your authority, and I beg you to overlook any offense it may have caused." His pride nearly made the word 'beg' stick in his throat, but he powered on past it. "Will you see fit to grant our request regardless?"

"What makes you think I will even consider it?" challenged Hiashi evenly. "Ignorant as you are of tradition, even you must know that the Hyuuga do not marry outside the clan."

"Every tradition has exceptions," retorted Naruto. A hint of a cool smile tugged at his lip. "I haven't heard any objections raised about Neji's engagement to TenTen, for example."

That seemed to catch the clan head off guard for half an instant. "What the branch family chooses to allow is entirely irrelevant!" he answered hotly. A thunderclap boomed outside. "They and their fallacies have no place in this discussion --the bloodline of the main house must remain pure." Naruto felt a flash of anger on Neji's behalf, but he tamped it down. "But let us forget that for the moment," continued Hiashi, stroking his chin as if in thought. "Let us assume what you say is possible. Why should I make such an exception for you, Naruto Uzumaki? What merits do you possess to deserve it? Do you offer my daughter a comfortable home to live in?"

Naruto thought of his cramped apartment and felt his cheeks flush. "…No."

Hiashi nodded and continued to regard him evenly. "Do you offer a stable and significant income, to assure that her needs are met?"

"No."

"A supportive family then, to care for her while you are away."

The younger man's jaw clenched. "You know as well as I do that I don't," he ground out.

Hiashi inclined his head. "Indeed. I also know that you cannot even offer a name in high standing throughout the Village. Many still consider it quite the opposite, in fact."

Naruto's fingers dug into his knees as he struggled not to throw back a vicious retort. He felt Hinata surreptitiously brush his hand, and the action cooled his head somewhat. Letting some of the tension drain from his body, he looked Hiashi defiantly in the eye and said, "I offer her love."

Hiashi made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a disdainful snort. "That is an empty offer. Any of dozens of other would-be suitors would claim the same, many far better off than you else wise."

"Father, I--"

"Be silent, Hinata!" Hiashi scolded harshly. "It is not your place to speak here."

This time Naruto very nearly jumped to his feet. "Hey! First of all, don't speak to her like that! Second, I love _Hinata_ --not her title or her money-- and I will not have you dismiss that like it's some kind of joke! Why is that not good enough for you?"

Hiashi's face remained expressionless, but his voice was cold and quiet as he spoke. The pounding rain sounded impossibly loud, but his words cut through like a knife. "This is my home. You have come here seeking my favor. Do not forget that, boy. How I choose to speak here, especially concerning my own daughter, is my decision alone. Now, even if what you say is true, love is not necessarily enduring --it is called a fleeting emotion for a reason." Naruto stiffened. "You call it strong now, but a year from now? Five years? Ten? If your fancy changes--"

"_**Never!**_ It'll never happen!"

"--then my daughter will be left with nothing. In the quite possible event that you die as a shinobi she will also be left with nothing. Is this not correct?"

_Not as possible as you'd like to think!_ thought Naruto indignantly. He turned to Hinata, and paused; her face had turned ashen, as if merely the thought of it made her sick. She tried to shake it off when she saw him looking, but he hesitated before saying, "I don't want to hurt her…" He shook his head. "…But don't think even for a moment that I will abandon her, in death or otherwise!"

A small quirk of the lip that resembled a chagrined smirk cracked Hiashi's impassive mask. "Noble sentiments from one who is still very young. In reality, however, you offer nothing but an avenue that must inevitably end in pain for at least one of you…" His gaze lowered ever so slightly and he grew quiet. Naruto sensed a breach in the older man's emotional armor, but before he could say anything Hiashi's eyes rose and the gap slammed shut again. "I have entertained this debate long enough. The heir or heiress of the main house marries within the clan. No exceptions, and certainly not for the likes of you. Naruto Uzumaki, I deny your suit."

Out of the corner of his eye Naruto saw Hinata wilt at those words. He himself felt a measure of disappointment, but it was quickly replaced with grim determination; he'd anticipated such a result. The storm outside lulled as he raised his chin and said, "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, Lord Hyuuga…" He reached over and took Hinata's hand. Her father raised an eyebrow. "…but I've proposed marriage to Hinata, and she has accepted. Under Leaf Village law --which supersedes clan traditions-- that's all we need. We both want your approval, but we will marry without it if we have to. There is nothing you can do to drive us apart. Knowing that, will you at least consent to give us your blessing? Can you at least do that for your daughter?"

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "Marry without my approval? Will you now…" A cold, thin smile twisted his lip. "Are you certain there is nothing I can do? If your mutual consent is all you need, it seems all I need do is persuade you not to consent."

Now it was Naruto's turn to snort derisively, but it was half-hearted; he didn't like that look. "Good luck."

The older man nodded graciously as if accepting the challenge and seemed to gather his thoughts. "With the Uchiha clan gone," he began, Naruto's expression already darkening, "we the Hyuuga are left virtually undisputed as the Leaf Village's strongest clan. We possess the most potent and the most closely guarded bloodline, we provide the Village with some of its most skilled shinobi…" His smirk turned smug. "…and accordingly, we have the greatest political influence."

Naruto didn't know what Hiashi was playing at, but the mere involvement of politics was making him uneasy. "Get to the point, please," he said gruffly.

"In due time, young Master Uzumaki." The older man's tone was just polite enough to avoid being overtly mocking. He half-turned and waved expansively at the banner behind him. "Now as I was saying, the Hyuuga are taken very seriously, and as the head of my clan my voice carries a great deal of weight in many places." He turned back to look Naruto in the eye. "Places like the Council of Elders, for example. Issues like the selection of our new leader."

Naruto stiffened. "What are you getting at?" he asked, quiet and serious.

"For a candidate to be accepted as Hokage, both his predecessor and the Council of Elders must be in concurrence over his sufficiency. For the Council to be in agreement, a specific majority of opinion must be reached. I have not said a great deal on the matter as of yet, but be assured that once I do a significant number will follow my lead." Hiashi's expression softened and his tone became amiable, though the hint of a smirk remained. "You are a very capable shinobi, Uzumaki. I would be more than amenable to back you. However, the Hokage must also be an individual who respects the traditions of the clans. It would be… _unfortunate_" --His eye gleamed as he said the word-- "if the Hyuuga had to oppose you for disregarding ours."

"Keep your bribes and your threats," the younger man said disgustedly. "I will become Hokage without your help."

"Oh?" challenged Hiashi. A trace of contemptuous superiority crept into his voice as he continued, "You say we are all aware of each other's position, but I do not think you are aware of your own. The Council is divided about you, Uzumaki, much too evenly. There is a chance you could yet succeed and win the nomination, but that chance will die if I lead the Hyuuga against you. The undecided will follow me, and your supporters will disappear."

"Tsunade--"

"--cannot win the ears of the Elders she so readily antagonizes and belittles. I, on the other hand, thoroughly understand the intricacies and nuances of the Council and how to manipulate them. Do not doubt what I say, boy, I am a master in this arena. I see my insinuations go over your head, however, so let me 'skip all the formality and speak frankly.'" Hiashi leaned forward slightly, looked Naruto in the eye, and spoke each word deliberately: "You will release my daughter from your engagement, or you will never be Hokage." He leaned back again, crossed his arms and looked self-satisfied. The wind rattled the door again.

Naruto felt as if he'd been struck with a hammer. He turned to Hinata; her head drooped forward and her face was hidden behind a curtain of her hair. Her whole body quavered --she was clearly fighting tears-- but it didn't seem that she was surprised by her father's ultimatum. _They must have already had this conversation_, he realized. _That's what's been bothering her all this time. She knew it would come down to this, and she thinks I'll pick…_ What? What would he choose? His heart screamed to stand up for Hinata, but the prospect of never being Hokage… seemed to clutch at his lungs and make him short of breath. Suddenly Shino's words about regret made perfect sense.

He stared down at the floor, at his hands resting on his knees. He'd only ever failed a promise once before, and he knew the weight it had cast on his shoulders. The guilt over Sasuke's death only confronted him occasionally by now, but this… no matter what he decided, he would face his choice every day of the rest of his life. He felt sick as he remembered all the sweet things he'd promised the wonderful woman beside him, and his heart felt as if it would stop and never restart when he tried to picture her face if he… He closed his eyes. Unbidden, the faces of every person to whom he'd swore he would be Hokage some day paraded in front of him, too numerous to count. He saw the frustration on Tsunade's face, and that so-familiar look of disappointment on Iruka-sensei's, burned into his memory from the Academy. He saw the Third, looking old and tired and sad, and after him the Fourth--

He snapped his eyes open again before he could see the expression his father wore. His breathing came in ragged rasps. His right hand curled into a trembling fist and thumped the ground. Months of bliss competed with years of dreaming. Hinata had been mistreated and tossed aside her whole life. Naruto knew what that was like, and so he knew with painful clarity how it would feel if he abandoned her now. On the other hand, if he became Hokage first, Hiashi would no longer have any leverage over them. It wouldn't be forever, and if he explained himself to her…

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a single tear fall from her face. He gritted his teeth as he made his decision. "Fine," he said softly. His trembling fist grew still and opened. "Have it your way…" Hinata drooped further.

Naruto slammed his palm against the ground. Eyes blazing, his head whipped up and he declared, "…I will never be Hokage!"

The smug look on Hiashi's face disappeared. Anger crept into Naruto's voice partially out of disgust, and partially from frustration at himself. "And you know what? I don't need to be! That's the problem with you pompous, self-righteous nobles --you all think Hokage is just a title, a rank you can use to control everyone. Well I got news for you, _Lord _Hyuuga; you couldn't be more wrong. The Hokage do have a commitment to the Village but they also have a commitment to its _people_, and that's what sets them apart!" He slashed a hand through the air. "They're not chosen by birth or wealth or standing --they don't even have to be the strongest. They are chosen for their heart! They have a passion to protect each individual, not just the whole. The Hokage is a man that pushes himself to the limit so everyone else can be happy. He respects the wishes of the clans but he's also ready to listen to the smallest civilian child, and he holds the right thing to do above the law --something I don't expect _you_ to know anything about! The people don't follow the Hokage because he's their ruler, they follow him because they know he'll spend his life working for them, and even be the first to lay it down if he has to. And you know what? It doesn't take rank to do that. I aspire to be Hokage because that's where I can do the most…" He almost faltered for a moment, but his eyes hardened and he proudly drew himself up to his full height. "…but if I have to stay a jonin, then I will serve as a jonin. If I join ANBU, I will serve as an ANBU. If I'm assigned to the Academy, I will give my all for the Village there. If you and your _Council_ strip me of rank all the way down to genin and beyond, I will still protect you and everyone else with the best of my ability. If I must be Hokage in all but name, I can do that."

He ignored Hiashi's hard stare and continued, softer than before. "What I _can't_ do, is abandon Hinata. She's shy, overly modest and much too quick to doubt herself, but she has the kindest heart I've ever seen and I wouldn't change it for the world. I love your daughter, Hiashi, and nothing will ever change that. So if you tell me I have to choose between her and some empty title, well, that's no choice at all." He thrust his right fist, fingers down, straight out in front him toward his future in-law. "Love is all I have to offer, but I offer it all to her and her alone. I swear to you, for the rest of my life I will give her all the attention, devotion and affection that you have denied her. _Believe it._"

Hiashi said nothing for a long handful of moments, but only stared. Naruto was entirely unfazed, determined to hold his gaze as long as he needed to. When the older man finally did speak, his words were hard and clipped. "If I were you, young Uzumaki, I would watch my tone when speaking to your elders in the future…" A hint of a smirk softened his expression. "…but apart from that, it is a very bold stance you take. You may consider your Trial by Leaves effectively finished, now that you have passed my Test of Commitment."

Naruto froze. "Cuh-- --Come again?"

The clan head of the Hyuuga actually chuckled. "Be careful with your generalizations, Naruto. I am not as 'self-righteous' as you think. I know I have not been a perfect father to Hinata --nor Hanabi, for that matter. In the past I have been so absorbed in my responsibility as head of my clan that I did not see the damage I was doing my own family. Without ever intending to, I crippled my daughter's development and kindled the hatred of my dear brother's son. Imagine my surprise, then, when I found the same loudmouthed, clanless young ninja addressed both problems right under my nose. You offset Neji's hate with hope. You gave Hinata someone to strive for and praise for her growth, which I with my disappointed expectations was never able to offer. Without you, Naruto, I never would have suspected that the damage was my fault, let alone that I could begin to repair it. I would be a fool not to be eternally grateful."

At this, Hiashi bowed in formal respect before the younger shinobi. Naruto's fist had long since dropped to his side, and he knelt motionless in gape-mouthed silence. The clan head straightened with a sincere smile. "The truth is that I was delighted when you began to court Hinata, for I could think of no one better for her hand." Then his expression turned more serious. "And yet, despite all appearances, I do care for her. Toward that end, I deceived you today because I had to be sure. I have been watching you, Naruto. I was not lying when I said I believe you could be a quite capable Hokage. All of what you said is true, but I had to be certain that you believed it, that you understood all of its deeper implications… and that you would not repeat my mistake of holding duty above loved ones. When Hinata revealed your engagement three days ago I knew it was a perfect opportunity. I told her of my plan, and as my last selfish command as her father I forbade her from speaking of it."

Naruto was still having trouble finding his voice. "I… I don't… know what to say…"

Hiashi bowed again. "I offer my humblest apologies for testing you so, Naruto Uzumaki, but know that you have met my greatest expectations."

"So," began Naruto slowly, "does that mean you are giving us your permission to marry?"

"My permission, my blessing, and my support in your bid for the name Hokage, if you are agreeable."

"Are you joking?!" exclaimed Naruto, barely able to contain his excitement. "Of course I-- --I mean," --he composed himself and inclined his head-- "I am pleased to accept, Lord Hyuuga." He bit his lip, and continued, "…And I apologize for my rudeness."

Hiashi smirked. "Others might have taken offense at such a tongue-lashing, but I know your speech betrays your passion. Do not concern yourself, but be more cautious in the future." He extended a hand, which Naruto eagerly accepted, and they shook. "Now then, you will have to return here tomorrow so the ceremony formally naming Hanabi the Hyuuga heiress can--"

"Hey!! Wait a minute!" Naruto yelled angrily. "I thought you said you weren't going to mistreat Hinata anymore --but the first thing you're going to do is take away her birthright?!"

The clan head regarded him patiently. "She cannot be the head of two clans, Naruto. If she is going to help lead the Uzumaki clan she must relinquish her place with the Hyuuga."

Naruto felt his cheeks turning scarlet, and he shrank in embarrassment. "…Oh." Then he remembered something and shook himself. "Wait, what about your Caged Bird Seal? If you guys are thinking about it you can forget it, because I won't let it anywhere near her or our k-kids."

Hiashi nodded. "I anticipated your protest, and believe me, I do not wish it on her either. After much thought I think I have devised a solution for both of us." He paused, and when Naruto motioned for him to continue, he mused, "Did you know that, according to legend, the Uchiha clan was descended from the Hyuuga clan?" Naruto shook his head in surprise. "Supposedly, the Sharingan was the result of the one time a main-family Hyuuga married outside the clan, to an individual possessed of very unique chakra. It was the Sharingan that lead the Uchiha to become one of the most vital clans in the Leaf Village, both politically and in terms of strength. But now, the Uchiha are gone. The Hyuuga have eagerly stepped into the void they left behind, but I am not so blind as to hold my clan's social standing above the welfare of the Village." A canny gleam entered his eye. "The Leaf has been weakened; I propose to mend this, by creating another bloodline, another _kekke-genkai_. After all, there is already a main-family Hyuuga preparing to wed outside the clan, and you, Naruto, certainly possess a unique chakra. I will declare your marriage an experiment, and we will not interfere."

Naruto let it all sink in for a moment. "…Thank you. You're really sticking your neck out for us, aren't you?"

"Sometimes we must hold the right thing to do above the law," responded Hiashi calmly. Amusement crossed his face, and he gestured. "Presently, the right thing to do is attend to my daughter."

Naruto finally turned to his left, where Hinata had sat rigidly upright, mouth open and eyes wide, in rosy stunned breathlessness since his first declaration. Naruto leaned toward her, concerned --she followed him with her eyes but she wasn't saying anything. "Hinata? Hey Hinata, are you all right?"

* * *

_He chose me?_

_H-he chose me. M-me? He… he chose me?_

_He chose me. He chose __**me**__. He __**chose**__ me. __**He**__ chose __**me**__! HE CHOSE ME!!!_

_Chose me? Chose me!_

_Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!Hechoseme!_

_**ME**__!!! He chose me!!_

_He… chose… ME! Me… He… he chose… me……_

"Hinata? Hey Hinata, are you all right?"

(Thump!)

* * *

As her eyes began to flutter open, she heard the most wonderful man in the world say, "Hey… Good morning, sunshine. Heh. Y'know you really need to give me more warning when you're going to faint like that."

She stopped to let his voice ring in her ears. Then she frowned and opened her eyes fully. "I… I don't understand," she said. "Why… why did you pick me? Your dream… you could have lost… and I… I'm just…"

As the fuzzy blond shape over her came into focus, she saw an expression split between exasperation and simple adoration. "Why are you so convinced that you don't deserve a happy ending?" he sighed. "Didn't I tell you? You're more important to me than anything. You _are_ my dream, Hinata, and I'll never give you up, no matter what. If you have so much trouble seeing the worth in yourself, then just believe in the worth that I see, okay? 'Cuz I see more than enough."

The wind tussled his hair, and he glanced up at the sky. She realized they were outside in the garden; the rain had stopped and the clouds (no longer dark) were beginning to break overhead. The storm was over. The sun shone through and painted his face with warmth, its rays captured and reflected in his golden hair like a prism.

At that moment, everything she had ever felt about him, her secret thoughts and dreams and feelings, rose to her lips all at once.

And this time, she found she could tell him everything.

* * *

(End)

* * *

And so my first story ends. Did you enjoy it? Tell me what you think.

I definitely plan to write a sequel, and I'll probably tack on a short epilogue to the end of this story. Before I do either, however, I want to hear specifics; when you review this --as I hope you will-- tell me (at least) one of your favorite parts from the whole Trial by Leaves --a scene, a character, some trait of my writing, even a one-liner. I really want to know what I did well, so I can know what to continue. (Shrugs) Feel free to tell me what I could do better, too, because that's another way I can improve.

Thanks again for reading, everyone! See you again soon.

~ArcTheJedi


	14. Epilogue

Okay, this really shouldn't have taken this long to get out here given it's short length, but several specific circumstances made focusing on this rather difficult. You know, things like Easter, final school projects, and oh yeah **becoming an uncle for the first time ever!!!** That's right, about four weeks ago my sister-in-law gave birth to a healthy baby girl, their first child and my first niece. Understandably, I've been a bit distracted since then, but even so I have finally managed to finish this epilogue. I know at least a couple of you were expecting something a great deal more than this, but all I really wanted to accomplish was to tie off a few loose story ends and set up a last handful of details before Full Circle. It's not much, but I think you all will enjoy it.

Anonymous reviews:  
-**Wolfkun**: Really? I thought I had understood that several of the Villagers actually came to resent the Fourth for the way he dealt with the Fox. (Shrugs) Well, either way, I'm glad you enjoyed my story. Thanks in particular for that comment about Shino --his was one of the chapters I found hardest to write.  
-**Tonya S**: I'm glad you liked the character flashbacks, because they were a fun challenge for me to write. And thank you very much for the Genius Approved Stamp. : ) As for Naruto's inauguration and his introspective, I'm afraid I don't have time for them at the moment. However, I do have a project planned in the future that they would be perfect for, so I'll hold on to them until then. Thanks for the ideas!

**Disclaimer: FanFiction is like Monopoly; you can have a great deal of fun playing the game, but when everything is said and done you still own nothing.**

* * *

Tsunade laid the small stack of papers on her desk and allowed herself a small satisfied smile. She'd read the report before, of course, but the ninja to whom it pertained was scheduled to return today.

The doors to her office slammed open with a _bang!_ Tsunade glanced up casually and mused, _Speak of the sun and it will shine…_ "Welcome back, Naruto."

The tall, blond, not-quite-so-obnoxious twenty-year-old in the doorway chuckled. "The Pervy Sage's right," he joked as he strode forward. "You hardly ever jump any more." He came to stand casually opposite her desk. "Naruto Uzumaki, reporting from duty."

Tsunade nodded and gestured for him to take a seat. "I've been expecting you. I trust your mission went well?" Her tone was formal --her 'official voice'-- but her canny smile belied the professionalism.

Naruto mirrored her expression and winked as if acknowledging some unspoken secret between them. "You might say that."

"Remind me again of the details?" she asked, more invitation than request.

A look of amusement crossed his face. "Well, I got married a couple months back, you know."

"Indeed." She nodded sagely. "Quite the spectacle, if I recall."

He chuckled again. "Yeah, I was pretty surprised myself. Anyway, our friend Queen Koyuki of the Land of Snow was there, and when she heard we weren't going to have time for a proper honeymoon--"

"No rest for the demands of a shinobi…"

"--she mentioned that she just happened to be opening a new resort to take advantage of the country's springtime." He schooled his face into serious lines but the mischief didn't leave his eyes. "Security was good, she said, but she wasn't sure it was good _enough_. She'd feel _ever_ so much better if a couple ninja would attend in secret and stay the first month or two --disguised as a young married couple perhaps."

"Yes, I remember now. How convenient that I had just the young couple to recommend," the Hokage said straight faced. "She even offered to cover their stay in full as payment."

She watched the corner of his mouth curl upward. "Well, Hinata and I _may_ have let ourselves be talked into it. For the sake of bringing our two nations closer, of course."

"Of course," Tsunade acknowledged coolly. She planted her elbows on her desk and propped her chin on her hands. "Please, continue with the details."

"Well, there was an opening ceremony that everyone thought was boring, at least until the fireworks at the end. After that we patrolled the park for a while, until Koyuki asked us to investigate 'something suspicious' at the ritziest hotel in town. Found the place, checked it out, found nothing, checked _in_ --just to be sure." Naruto lounged back in his chair, closed his eyes and smiled at the memories. "The next day there was a carnival where we 'inspected' the rides for safety, the day after that we pursued rumors of shady characters at the water park, performed surveillance at the spa…" He chuckled. "I swear, by the time we left we must have been everywhere in that whole resort and city, seen and done everything --twice-- and never found anything more than a pickpocket and the occasional conman."

"How strange," Tsunade said with mock surprise. "It almost makes one wonder where these insubstantial reports were coming from."

Naruto opened his eyes and gave her a coy look. "Well, you know how quickly rumors travel. They could come from anywhere --from the Queen herself, for all we knew."

She nodded and spoke matter-of-factly. "Well in any case, I'm sure she appreciated your efforts at keeping the peace. Well done." She straightened and let her mouth twist into a smirk. "Now then, a couple important happenings occurred during your absence that you should know about. First, I assume that by now you are aware of the new clan complex constructed under the name 'Uzumaki'."

An impish look crossed Naruto's face as he said, "I just came from there. I think the builders wanted to remain anonymous, but Zano hadn't _quite_ finished painting by the time we got there. Hinata was so excited that I volunteered to come report for both of us and left her there to start settling in." He leveled a cool look in her direction. "And before you say it, yes, I've heard that Choji and Tanbe are engaged."

Tsunade arched her eyebrow at him, though her smirk remained amused. "You and Hinata seem to have set off a spree of such engagements. There have been three weddings in as many recent weeks and a half-dozen or so more scheduled within the next month, and none of that is counting civilians. Shikamaru and Ino have mysteriously vanished for 'about three weeks,' according to Choji."

The blond man grinned. "I was wondering why they weren't there to greet us."

The Hokage nodded, then waved dismissively. "But that's another matter. More important is what I have here," she said, feeling her eagerness well up as she indicated the small stack of papers on her desk. He sat up, his curiosity peaked. "This… is the latest consensus from the Council of Elders." She watched him carefully as she spoke, anticipating his reaction and trying not to show it. "They have reached the required majority --nearly unanimous, in fact. You, Naruto Uzumaki, are now my named successor to the title of Hokage."

To her great surprise, Naruto did not whoop or cheer. His smile grew wide, but when he spoke all he said was, "That's great news. It means a lot to me to hear that."

Impressed by his aplomb, she fixed a pointing finger and a mischievous expression on him. "But that doesn't mean you should start moving in here! It'll still be a few years before I start thinking about retirement, you hear me?"

He laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "That's just fine," he said. "In fact I'm glad to hear that too. Believe it; I'm in no hurry."

She settled back, smiling proudly at his maturity. "Good. Well then, unless there's anything else, you are dismissed."

But Naruto hesitated. "Actually, there is just one more thing," he began, drawing a quizzical look from the Hokage. "Several months from now Hinata will need an extended absence from duty."

"The reason?"

"Well…" A sly look crossed his face. "…let's just say I'm glad you're used to the name 'Granny'."

A spark of recognition lit behind Tsunade's eyes. "I see. Yes, that should be simple to arrange."

The future Hokage nodded his thanks and stood to leave. When he got to the door, Tsunade called after him, "Oh, and Naruto?" He turned. She winked. "Congratulations, Daddy."

* * *

(Story End)

* * *

Okay, let me just say two quick things here:  
-First, now that the story is official done, you might want to go back and read it all again --you might notice a few connections and details you missed the first time through. For example, I know TimeShifter said he picked up on a lot of foreshadowing that he'd overlooked before. (shrugs) I'm not saying you have to --it is a lot of reading-- I just thought I'd make the suggestion.  
-Second, since this is officially the last chapter, please note that I won't be able to reply to anonymous reviews. I'd still like to hear from you, just know that I can't reply.

Now then, I appreciate all of you for reading my story, but I'd like to take this opportunity to extend a special thanks to several reviewers in particular:

**BlueJx23**, for inspiring me to try FanFiction in the first place.

**Demon of Konoha**, for planting the idea for the entire chapter 7, 'A Night Under the Stars.'

**Wingless-Crying-Angel**, for taking the time to review every single chapter.

**ArmorOfGeddon**, **JBM**, and others, for helping me watch out for plotholes and inconsistencies.

**Blinkin**, **Demon of Konoha**, and others, for constructive criticism.

**TimeShifter** and **Arkaine Deao**, for reading my mind on several occasions with a scary degree of accuracy.

I'm sure there are others I meant to single out, and I may add to this list as I find them, but in the meantime thank you all once again. You've made this a very rewarding experience. As for my sequel, I'll probably have to wait until after finals to put any real work into it, but I'll try to get it out there as soon as I can. Look for it under the name Full Circle.

Until then,  
~ArcTheJedi


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